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NAME: Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde
LIFETIME: January 1, 1956 – Present
WHAT SHE IS KNOWN FOR: Christine Lagarde is best known for being the first female managing director (MD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the organization that serves as the economic advisor for 188 countries. She has been the MD since July 5, 2011 and has recently been reelected for a second five-year term.
WHY WE LOVE HER: Before accepting a position with the IMF, Lagarde held various ministerial posts for the French government, such as the Minister of Economic Affairs, Minister of Finance and Employment and the Minister of Agriculture and Fishing. In fact, aside from being the first woman to head the IMF, she was also the first woman to become a finance minister of a G8 economy. When Lagarde took over the MD position for the IMF, the global economy was still struggling to recover, but in just five years, she was able to overcome various structural loans and enroll diverse countries such as China, Russia and Britain in the IMF’s fiscal discipline practices.
Additionally, Lagarde worked to stabilize Greece’s economy in order to prevent a larger crises for all of Europe. According to the U.S. federal chief Janet Yellen, Lagarde is not just an “outstanding, effective leader,” she has even given the IMF a “more human face by addressing issues like gender and income equality and public-health threats like the Ebola virus.” With her success, she sets an example for women all around the world. Lagarde tells Vogue that while she believes that attitudes towards women will eventually change, women also have to take responsibility for their actions. According to her, “I’ve tried to equip my sons to be self-sufficient and not to rely on some woman as a servant. They can iron their own shirts and cook their dinners. But more women should raise their sons to respect and like women. Men, at the end of the day, are the sons of their mothers.”
FUN FACT: Lagarde grew up as a French bourgeoisie, complete with synchronized-swimming practices and Girl Scout experiences. Despite her strong French background – Lagarde grew up in a traditional, Catholic home in Normandy – she speaks fluent and idiomatic English and is quite familiar with American issues. She spent a total of seven years in the U.S. – one year in Washington, D.C., a few years studying as an American Field Service scholar at Holton-Arms School in Maryland (where Jackie O. once attended) and she interned in the office of then Congressman William Cohen.
