Lagarde Christine, IMF. Biography, personal life

The current director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, has been in her current post since July 5, 2011. Before that, she was in the Union for the Popular Movement, a liberal-conservative political party. Kristin Lagarde, whose family consisted entirely of teachers, chose a different path from her childhood. During her career, she changed several ministerial posts. She showed herself to be a real professional. Lagarde Christine even managed to become the first woman in the post of finance minister of the G8. And then the head of the IMF!

In 2009, the famous Financial Times magazine named her the most successful finance minister in the euro area. Two years later, she was asked to become the director of the IMF. So Kristin Lagarde, the nationality of which first caused claims from the representatives of developing countries, proved its professionalism once again, which was confirmed by Forbes magazine in 2014, calling it the fifth in the list of the most influential women.

brief information

• Name: Lagarde Christine Madeleine Odette (maiden name - Lalwett).
• Date of birth: January 1, 1956.
• Position: Managing Director of the IMF.
• Alternates: John Lipsky, David Lipton.
• Preceded by: Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
• Political Party: Union for the Popular Movement.
• Religion: Catholicism.

Christine Lagarde: Biography

The current director of the IMF was born in Paris. Her parents were teachers: father - professor of English, mother - teacher of Latin, Greek and French literature. Lagarde Christine spent her childhood with her three younger brothers in Le Havre. As a teenager, she was a member of France's national synchronized swimming team. After receiving a master's degree in 1973, she won a scholarship to study at a girls' school in the United States. During her time in America, Lagarde Christine worked as an intern in the Capitol. She was an assistant to Congressman William Cohen and helped him communicate with French-speaking voters during the Watergate scandal. Before she was recognized by all the leading economies of the world, Lagarde received a master's degree from the University of Western Paris-Nanterre-la-Défense and the Institute of Political Studies Aix-en-Provence. She wanted to go to the French National School of Administration, but did not score enough points in the exam.

Christine Lagarde: personal life

At the moment the woman has two adult sons. The name of the first husband Lagarde still carries. Since 2006, he is married to the entrepreneur Xavier Jocanti of Marseilles. Christine Lagarde takes care of her health, is a convinced vegetarian and rarely drinks alcohol. Her hobby includes classes at the gym, cycling and swimming.

Professional career

Lagarde began working at Baker & McKenzie, a large international law firm, in 1981. She specialized in antitrust and labor disputes. Five years later Kristin became a partner of the firm and head of the West European branch. The birth of sons in 1986 and 1988 did not prevent her from making an excellent career. In 1995 she became a member of the executive committee, and in 1999 she became its chairman. Christine Lagarde was the first woman to be awarded this position. In 2004, she became president of the global strategic committee of Baker & McKenzie.

Government posts

In 2005, Christine Lagarde proposed the post of Minister of Trade of France. Her main priority was to open new markets and develop the technology sector. In 2007, Lagarde was appointed Minister of Agriculture, and then - the economy.

Appointment of the head of the IMF

In May 2011, Christine Lagarde announced her intention to become the head of the International Monetary Fund after the resignation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. It was supported by many leading economies in the world, in which countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Brazil, Russia, China, Germany are represented. The head of the Mexico City Bank, Augustine Carstens, was also nominated for this post. He could be the first non-European in this position. His candidacy was supported by many developing countries. However, on June 28, 2011, the IMF Council elected Lagarde as the Managing Director of the organization. She became the first woman in this position. The US supported the rapid appointment of a new head of the IMF due to the European debt crisis. Nicolas Sarkozy called the appointment of a native of his country to this post a victory of France. In December 2015, Finance Minister Michel Sapin said that Lagarde could remain head of the IMF, despite allegations of criminal negligence.

Investigation of abuse of authority

In August 2011 litigation began regarding the role of Lagarde in the arbitration agreement (403 million euros) in favor of businessman Bernard Tapi. In the summer of 2013, her apartment was searched. After two days of interrogation, Lagarde was declared a witness in the case. However, in August 2014, an investigation into the criminal negligence of Christine Lagarde began. An investigative commission of three judges of the Court of Cassation is to find out whether Lagarde is guilty of complicity in "forging documents" and "inappropriate use of public funds." On December 17, 2015, it was announced that she should be brought to trial.

International Monetary Fund: briefly about the organization

The IMF is a special UN agency. Its main goal is the regulation of monetary and credit relations between countries. To date, it consists of 188 states. In the event of a deficit in the balance of payments, they are granted short- and medium-term loans in US dollars. The creation of the IMF was one of the points of the Bretton Woods Accords, today it is the institutional basis of international relations.

The reserve currencies of the organization include the dollar, euro, pound sterling and yen. From October 1, 2016, this list will include the Chinese yuan. The headquarters of the organization is located in the USA. The current head of the IMF is Christine Lagarde, who has held this post since 2011.

Views

In July 2010, Lagarde stated in her interview that the IMF loan program for European countries was a very ambitious plan, completely unexpected and inconsistent. According to her, at the disposal of the International Monetary Fund was a trillion dollars, which he was ready to provide, if necessary, to any country, whether it be Greece, Spain or Portugal. As for France, Lagarde noted that her native state needs to reduce the budget deficit and reduce the amount of foreign debt. After assuming office, she immediately stressed the need for the Greek government to take severe measures in the quality of the prerequisites for providing additional assistance from the IMF. In 2012, Lagarde refused to revise the agreement. However, in 2015, she personally contributed to the write-off of Greece's external debt. As for the views of Christine Lagarde, she describes them simply: "I agree with Adam Smith, and therefore, liberal." At the same time, it allows state intervention in the economy in the conditions of market crises.

"Debts must be returned"

In an interview in May, two thousand and twelve, Lagarde asked about the crisis in Greece. Many were shocked by her response. Lagarde dryly commented on the existence of facts of tax evasion in the state. She noted that Greece lived well on borrowed money, and now it's time to pay the bills. Such a response offended very many citizens. To soften her statement, Lagarde on the social networking page noted that she was very sympathetic to the Greek people.

This entry for the day received 10,000 comments, many of which were obscene. Many wrote that the Greek people do not need sympathy for Lagarde. Professor of the University of London John Wicks also noted that the head of the IMF receives a year 468 thousand dollars, which are not taxed at all.