Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas is next IMF chief economist as Gita Gopinath takes over as deputy MD

Gourinchas, a French national, is currently a University of California-Berkeley economist. Last month, Gopinath was appointed as the first deputy managing director of the IMF.

Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas | Photo: imf.org

New Delhi: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed French-born University of California-Berkeley economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas as the next chief economist, replacing Indian origin Gita Gopinath.

“I am very pleased to announce that Pierre-Olivier will join us as the Fund’s next Chief Economist. He brings a stellar track record of scholarship and intellectual leadership in macroeconomic areas critical to our work–from global imbalances and capital flows to the stability of the international monetary and financial system, and more recently, to economic policies for the pandemic era,” Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a statement on Monday.

Gourinchas will succeed Gita Gopinath, a US national of Indian origin. Gopinath has been appointed the first deputy managing director of the IMF.

Gourinchas, a French national, will begin his work as the IMF’s new Chief Economist on January 24, initially on a part-time basis as he concludes some prior teaching commitments, transitioning to full-time on April 1, 2022, the IMF said.

“Pierre-Olivier is known for his agility in spotting emerging trends and for his expertise in analysing today’s most pressing economic problems. Under his leadership, we can look forward to building on the Fund’s well-earned reputation for excellence in macroeconomics and research in service to our global membership,” Georgieva said.