Gita Gopinath's family was keen to see her pursue a career in civil services but destiny had something else for this middle-class girl who was also interested in sports, music and fashion in her childhood. As she grew up, Gopinath put her mind to studying economics. After Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi School of Economics, University of Washington and Princeton University, Gopinath finally landed at Harvard University where she started teaching finance and economics. Currently on leave from the university, Gopinath is attracting all the attention at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Gopinath, the first woman to hold the coveted job of Chief Economist from January this year, is in the thick of action. A possible global recession and US-China trade war are taking most of her time these days. "It is getting harder to find the bright spots," Gopinath said recently in an interview. Her views are well respected in the market. She is the second Indian to get the job of IMF Chief Economist, the other being Raghuram Rajan. Unlike many economists, she is frank in airing her views on the Indian economy. "There are still some issues with the way India computes its GDP," she recently said while expressing her views on the controversial subject.