Gita Gopinath, the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD), is set to depart from the organization at the end of August 2025, to return to Harvard University. She will be the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics.

Gopinath joined the IMF in January 2019 as Chief Economist, becoming the first woman to hold the position. In January 2022, she was promoted to First Deputy Managing Director.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva announced Gopinath's departure and praised her contributions to the fund. Georgieva acknowledged Gopinath as an "outstanding colleague," an "exceptional intellectual leader," and a "fabulous manager" who always showed genuine care for the staff's well-being. Georgieva noted that Gopinath had joined the IMF as a highly respected academic and had proven to be an exceptional intellectual leader during her time, which included the pandemic and global shocks caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Georgieva said she would name a successor to Gopinath in "due course".

On her departure, Gopinath expressed her gratitude for her time at the IMF, both as Chief Economist and as First Deputy Managing Director. She acknowledged the privilege of working with the IMF's staff, management, Executive Board, and country authorities. She thanked Kristalina Georgieva and her predecessor, Christine Lagarde, for the opportunity to serve the IMF during a period of unprecedented challenges. Gopinath also stated that she was returning to her "academic roots" to continue pushing the research frontier in international finance and macroeconomics and to train the next generation of economists.

Gopinath's move appears to have been initiated by her, and the timing of her departure has surprised some within the IMF. Her departure presents an opportunity for the U.S. Treasury to recommend a successor.

During her time at the IMF, Gopinath steered the Fund's analytical and policy work. She oversaw the IMF's multilateral surveillance and analytical work on fiscal and monetary policy, debt, and international trade. She also made contributions to systemic country surveillance and to Fund country programs.