Economist Gita Gopinath to leave IMF in January 2022

The International Monetary Fund’s Chief Economist and Director of the Research Department Gita Gopinath will leave the organization in January 2022, the global financial institution announced.

Gopinath will return to Harvard University’s economics department. She was on public service leave during her tenure at the organization, and the leave will end in January 2022. Gopinath, during her tenure, co-authored the “Pandemic Paper”, a document that set globally endorsed targets for vaccinating the world against Covid-19, the IMF said.

Harvard had extended Gopinath’s leave by one year as an exceptional case, which allowed her to serve as the chief economist at the IMF for three years. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Gopinath’s contribution to the fund was “truly remarkable”.