European Council names Christine Lagarde as first woman in this role

July 10, 20191 minute read

Christine Lagarde has been nominated to be president of the European Central Bank. If confirmed, she will become the first woman to lead that organization – an addition to her already impressive list of firsts.

With her nomination, she will temporarily suspend her duties as managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Her responsibilities there include leading an organization of 189 countries that works to ensure the stability of the global monetary system, promote international trade and economic growth and reduce poverty. She was the first woman named to head up the IMF.

In an article in Forbes, Lagarde was praised for her “political savviness” and for bringing much more of a world view to the table. The article also says, “Before coming to the IMF, Lagarde worked her way up the ladder at law firm Baker McKenzie (becoming the first female chairman of a major international law firm) and served as France’s finance minister—the first woman to hold the role in any G7 country.”

With her nomination and the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen—Angela Merkel’s defense secretary in Germany—to become the next president of the European Commission, women are poised to hold half of the EU’s leadership positions.

Lagarde recently appeared on the Daily Show where Trevor Noah asked if she had heard of the “glass cliff.” View the video