Biographies of remarkable women: Christine Lagarde

Christine Lagarde

Christine Lagarde is one of the most influential personalities in the economic and political world. Born in Paris, she started her professional career as a lawyer in an international law firm. In 2005 she was appointed as French Minister for Foreign Trade, the first of the ministerial positions that she held in France. After a brief experience as Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries in the new government, in June 2007 she became the first woman to lead the French Ministry of Economic Affairs, Finance and Employment, a position that she held for four years. In June 2011 she was appointed Director General of the International Monetary Fund after the resignation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Again, she was the first woman to hold such a position in the 70 years of history of the Institution. After serving her five-year term, despite some legal controversies in France, she was re-appointed in July 2016 for a second term. In 2019 she was designated President of the European Central Bank by the European Council and succeeded Mario Draghi. This was the first time that a woman was chosen to serve as President of the ECB.