34 Facts About Christine Lagarde

Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde is a French politician and lawyer who has served as President of the European Central Bank since 2019.

Christine Lagarde previously served as the 11th Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 2011 to 2019.

Christine Lagarde was the first woman to hold each of those posts.

Christine Lagarde held the top post until she decided to go into public service.

Christine Lagarde returned to France when appointed Minister of Foreign Trade from 2005 to 2007, then briefly served as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries from May to June 2007, and finally, as Minister of Finance from 2007 to 2011, making her the first female to hold the finance portfolio of any Group of Eight economy.

Christine Lagarde's appointment was the 11th consecutive appointment of a European to head the IMF.

Christine Lagarde was selected by consensus for a second five-year term, starting 5 July 2016, being the only candidate nominated for the post.

Christine Lagarde resigned from the IMF following her nomination as president of the ECB.

Christine Lagarde was born in Paris, France, into a family of teachers.

Christine Lagarde graduated from Paris West University Nanterre La Defense, where she obtained master's degrees in English, labour law, and social law.

Christine Lagarde holds a master's degree from the Institut d'etudes politiques in Aix-en-Provence.

Christine Lagarde handled major antitrust and labour cases, was made partner after six years and was named head of the firm in Western Europe.

Christine Lagarde joined the executive committee in 1995 and was elected the company's first female chairman in October 1999.

In 2004, Christine Lagarde became president of the Global Strategic Committee.

Christine Lagarde was the only member of the French political class to condemn Jean-Paul Guerlain's racist remarks of 2010.

On 25 May 2011, Christine Lagarde announced her candidacy to be head of the IMF to succeed Dominique Strauss-Kahn, upon his resignation.

Christine Lagarde's candidacy received the support of the British, Indian, United States, Brazilian, Russian, Chinese and German governments.

Christine Lagarde's candidacy was supported by many Latin American governments, as well as Spain, Canada and Australia.

Christine Lagarde became the first woman to be elected as the head of the IMF.

Christine Lagarde's appointment came amid the intensification of the European sovereign debt crisis especially in Greece, with fears looming of loan defaults.

On 17 December 2015, Michel Sapin, French Finance Minister, said that Christine Lagarde could stay on as head of the IMF, despite being charged with criminal negligence.

On 2 July 2019, Christine Lagarde was nominated to serve as the next president of the ECB, to succeed Mario Draghi.

In public remarks made right after her appointment, Christine Lagarde stated that both the IMF and EU required Greek austerity measures as a prerequisite for further aid.

In January 2015, on the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Christine Lagarde said "he was a strong believer in pushing forward women's rights", prompting a number of observers to comment on the life of women generally in Saudi Arabia.

On 2 July 2019, Christine Lagarde was nominated by the European Council to succeed Mario Draghi as President of the European Central Bank on 1 November 2019.

Christine Lagarde received the insignia of Commander of the National Order of Merit from Emmanuel Macron in February 2022.

Christine Lagarde was immediately arrested on charges of breaching privacy laws with a possible sentence of up to two years in prison.

On 24 May 2013, after two days of questioning at the Court of Justice of the Republic, Christine Lagarde was assigned the status of "assisted witness", meaning that she herself was not under investigation in the affair.

On 17 December 2015, the CJR ordered Christine Lagarde to stand trial before it for alleged negligence in handling the Tapie arbitration approval.

Christine Lagarde was interviewed in the documentary film Inside Job, which later won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Christine Lagarde was portrayed by Laila Robins in the HBO television film Too Big to Fail, which was based on the popular non-fiction book of the same name by The New York Times journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin.

Meryl Streep based parts of Miranda Priestly's appearance in the feature film The Devil Wears Prada on Christine Lagarde, citing her "unassailable elegance and authority".

Christine Lagarde presented the 2014 Richard Dimbleby Lecture, titled "A New Multilateralism for the 21st Century".

Christine Lagarde is a health-conscious vegetarian, and her hobbies include regular trips to the gym, cycling, and swimming.