Gita Gopinath, the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will leave her post in August 2025, the IMF announced this week. She will return to academia to take on a newly established professorship at Harvard University.
Gopinath is set to become the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics at Harvard, where she previously held a prominent role before joining the IMF. Her departure will mark the end of an influential seven-year tenure at the Fund, during which she helped navigate the global economy through some of its most turbulent times.
Kristalina Georgieva, IMF’s Managing Director, confirmed the news and noted that Gopinath’s successor would be announced in the future. Gopinath originally joined the IMF in 2019 as Chief Economist, becoming the first woman to ever hold the position. Her leadership was especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she steered IMF efforts through worldwide economic instability, supply disruptions, and debt challenges.
In 2022, she was elevated to the role of First Deputy Managing Director—the second-highest position at the Fund—continuing to shape responses to global crises including climate finance, inflation, and developing countries’ debt management.
Reflecting on her time at the IMF, Gopinath shared her decision publicly on social media. “After nearly 7 amazing years at the IMF, I have decided to return to my academic roots,” she wrote, announcing her return to Harvard effective September 1, 2025. She expressed gratitude to both Kristalina Georgieva and Christine Lagarde, her predecessor, for the opportunity to serve at the IMF during such a consequential period.
Before her time at the Fund, Gopinath was the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard. Her academic credentials and leadership at the IMF have made her a highly respected voice in global economics, particularly in international finance and macroeconomic policy.
Her departure leaves a notable vacancy at the IMF, and her next chapter at Harvard signals a renewed focus on research and mentoring the future generation of economists. A replacement has not yet been named by the IMF.
