Christine Lagarde

Christine Lagarde is the first female managing director of the International Monetary Fund, a post she assumed in 2011.

Previously, after an international law career she became French minister for foreign trade in 2005 and then minister for agriculture and fisheries. In 2007, she became the first female minister of finance and economy. As a member of the Group of 20 nations, Lagarde was involved in its management of the global financial crisis, helping to foster international policies related to financial supervision and regulation and to strengthen global economic governance.

Born in Paris in 1956, Lagarde graduated from law school at University Paris X and obtained a master’s degree from the Political Science Institute in Aix-en-Provence. A former member of the French national team for synchronized swimming, Lagarde is the mother of two sons.