Christine Lagarde

European Central Bank 1956.1.1.–

President of the European Central Bank who launched the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme; former head of the IMF

Born in Paris, Lagarde studied law at Paris Nanterre University. She worked at the international law firm Baker & McKenzie and chaired it from 1999 to 2004, then returned to France as minister of foreign trade and, from 2007 to 2011, served as minister of the economy and finance in the Fillon government, overseeing the response to the 2008 financial crisis. She was the 11th Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 2011 to 2019 and succeeded Mario Draghi as President of the European Central Bank in November 2019. In March 2020 she launched the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP). She was the first woman in each of these posts.

Also known as: Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde