Noted economist Gita Gopinath to leave IMF's No 2 role for Harvard job

Gita Gopinath, the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is set to leave her post in August and will return to Harvard University, the IMF said in a statement. 

Gita, who joined the fund in January 2019 as chief economist- the first woman to serve in that role- was promoted to first deputy managing director in January 2022. She will join Harvard as the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics. 

Gita was also the former economic advisor to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in 2016- a selection that reportedly irked many within the CPM. However, after serving in the position for nearly two years, she stepped down following her appointment to the IMF.

"After nearly 7 amazing years at the IMF, I have decided to return to my academic roots. On September 1, 2025, I will rejoin Harvard as the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics. I am truly grateful for my time at IMF, first as Chief Economist and then as First Deputy Managing Director," Gita Gopinath said in a post on X. 

Gita, an American citizen with roots in Kerala, was lauded by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva as an outstanding colleague and intellectual leader. Georgieva noted that Gita helped steer the Fund's policy through periods of high uncertainty, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As Chief Economist, Gita ensured that the World Economic Outlook remained the preeminent report on the global economy— an especially impressive achievement during the Covid-19 pandemic, which presented an unprecedented challenge to our membership. Gita also spearheaded the Fund's work on the Integrated Policy Framework (IPF), which provides a robust analytical framework to help countries determine the appropriate policies for macroeconomic and financial stability,"  Georgieva said.  

The IMF director also praised Gita's contributions in shaping the Fund's assistance programmes for countries such as Argentina and Ukraine. She further highlighted Gita's role in representing the IMF at prominent international forums, including the G7 and G20.

"Gita steered the Fund's analytical and policy work with clarity, striving for the highest standards of rigorous analysis at a complex time of high uncertainty and rapidly changing global economic environment. She oversaw the Fund’s multilateral surveillance and analytical work on fiscal and monetary policy, debt, and international trade," she said.

The IMF said that a successor to Gita is expected to be announced soon.