IMF: Gita Gopinath surprise move to replace Okamoto as IMF’s No. 2 – Times of India

Washington: Gita, Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund gopinath Geoffrey Okamoto is set to take over as the institute’s No. 2 officer, the institution said Thursday.
The move comes as a surprise as Gopinath, the first woman to serve as International Monetary FundThe U.S. chief economist said in October that he planned to rejoin Harvard University in January to retain the convenience of his term after three years of public service.
The IMF said in a statement that “some changes are being made to the roles and responsibilities of the fund’s senior management team.”
By convention, the first deputy managing director is nominated by the US and appointed by the managing director of the IMF. The Treasury supports this option and the job responsibilities of this role are being reinstated, according to a person familiar with the department’s position, who asked not to be identified.
The first deputy managing director will “lead monitoring and related policies, oversee research and major publications, and help promote the highest quality standards for fund publications,” the IMF said.
Gopinath led the IMF’s research department during the pandemic and the 2020 recession, the worst peacetime decline since the Great Depression. After teaching at Harvard’s economics department since 2005, she joined the Washington-based lender in early 2019, succeeding Maury Obstfeld. He earned his doctorate in economics from Princeton University, where Ben Bernanke was among his advisors before becoming chairman of the Federal Reserve. , Another advisor was Ken Rogoff, one of Gopinath’s predecessors as chief economist of the IMF.
According to the statement, Okamoto, who took over as the first deputy MD in March 2020, plans to return to the private sector. Prior to joining the fund, he was acting assistant secretary of the US Treasury Department for international finance and development and a veteran of President Donald Trump’s trade talks with China.
The IMF said that while at the fund, he helped guide the country’s issues and strengthen its ties with major multilateral groups, including the Group of Seven and the Group of 20.
During his time at the organization, the IMF released a record $650 billion in reserves to help nations cope with the COVID-19 crisis. The organization also alleged that the Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva Incorrectly influenced the World Bank rankings of China’s business environment when she was a top official there. The scandal brought IMF data and forecasts under scrutiny and poses a challenge to the fund in terms of protecting its reputation and credibility.
Georgieva repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and in October the IMF board said its investigation did not conclude that she played a role in the report.

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