Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde - French statesman, managing director of the International Monetary Fund since 2011. Prior to that, she was the Minister of Economy and Finance of France. In 2009, the renowned Financial Times magazine named her the most successful finance minister in the eurozone. Noting the high professionalism and political authority, Forbes magazine in 2014 named her fifth in the list of the most influential women in the world.
Biography. A family
Christine Laluette was born on January 1, 1956 in Paris in a family of hereditary aristocrats. His father was a professor of English, and his mother a teacher of French literature and Latin. In addition to Christine, the family had three more younger sons. The father adhered to strict rules in raising children; since childhood, they have been focused on success and achieving concrete results. At first, the girl was aimed at a sports career, because she successfully engaged in synchronized swimming and even played for the French team. At seventeen years after her father’s death, Christine received a scholarship to study at Holton Arms School in the United States. In America, Lagarde worked in the Capitol, helping Congressman Cohen communicate with French-speaking voters during the difficult period of the Watergate scandal. From that moment, her political career began. Returning to her homeland, she entered the University of Western Paris at the Faculty of Law. In 1981, she received a master's degree from the Institute for Political Studies in Aix-en-Provence. Later, she will become a member of the board of directors of this institution.
Professional growth
With a law degree, Lagarde got a job at the Paris branch of the American law firm Baker & McKenzie. Thanks to hard work and determination five years later, Kristin became a partner of the company and the head of the Western European branch. The birth of sons in 1986 and 1988 did not prevent her from making an excellent career. In 1999, she became the first woman to head this well-known legal organization. Under her leadership, Baker & McKenzie's annual turnover exceeded a billion dollars.
From 1995 to 2002, Lagarde combined her main activity with work at the Center for International and Strategic Studies, where her colleague was Zbigniew Brzezinski. In 2000, she was awarded the Legion of Honor in her homeland.
Government posts in France
In 2005, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin persuaded Christine Lagarde to return from America to his homeland and get involved in politics. In the same year, she was offered the post of Minister of Foreign Trade of France. In 2007, she took the post of Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and a year later she headed the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry. In 2008, she began to lead the Council of Ministers of Economics and Finance of the European Union, Ecofin (ECOFIN). In 2009, Lagarde received the title of best finance minister of the European Union according to the Financial Times.
At first, French colleagues could not get used to Christine's American directness and tactlessness. Dominic Strauss-Kahn, then head of the IMF, called her an incompetent person. Many journalists compared the strict minister with Marie Antoinette. But the perseverance and experience of a talented woman took their toll. Following the resignation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn from the post of IMF, she announced her desire to head the International Monetary Fund. Lagarde’s intention was supported by all the largest economic powers. For Nicolas Sarkozy, the then President, she personified the victory of France. Despite all the allegations of criminal negligence against him in the case of businessman Tali, Christine firmly held her post. And in 2016, the Board of Directors again elects her for another 5 years to the same position.
What is the IMF?
This is a UN social agency that regulates monetary relations between states. Currently there are 188. The IMF provides loans to insolvent countries. The IMF's reserve currencies are the dollar, euro, yen, and pound sterling. Since 2016, the Chinese yuan has added this list. The headquarters of the IMF is located in the United States.
Personal life
In the early 80s, Kristin Laluette married Wilfrid Lagarde. Soon the family union broke up. From this marriage, she has two sons - Thomas and Pierre-Henri. The eldest son is engaged in architecture, the youngest is programming. The second time she married the businessman Ichran Pilmur, with whom she also did not live long. Currently, she has a civil relationship with an entrepreneur from Marseille - Xavier Giacanti. Lagarde - a fan of a healthy lifestyle, a vegetarian, neglects alcohol. Her sports passions: swimming, cycling, training on simulators. She enjoys spending time in the garden, caring for flowers.
