41 Facts About Minouche Shafik

Minouche Shafik served as the president and vice chancellor of the London School of Economics from 2017 to 2023, and then as the 20th president of Columbia University from July 2023 to August 2024.

From 2014 to 2017, Shafik served as a deputy governor of the Bank of England and previously as permanent secretary of the United Kingdom's Department for International Development from 2008 to 2011.

Minouche Shafik has served as a vice president at the World Bank and as a deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

Minouche Shafik has been a member of the House of Lords as a life peer since 2020.

Minouche Shafik was head of Columbia University during the 2024 Columbia University protests.

On 17 April 2024, Minouche Shafik testified before the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding antisemitism on the Columbia University campus.

Minouche Shafik resigned from the office on 14 August 2024.

Minouche Shafik was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to Muslim parents who were both educators.

Minouche Shafik was educated for a year at the American University in Cairo.

Minouche Shafik gained a Master of Science degree in economics from the London School of Economics in 1986, then a Doctorate of Philosophy in economics from the University of Oxford, in 1989.

Minouche Shafik moved to do macroeconomic work on Europe and the Middle East where she published a number of books and articles on the region's economic future, the economics of peace, labour markets, regional integration, and gender issues.

At age 36, Minouche Shafik became the World Bank's youngest-ever Vice President.

Minouche Shafik has held academic appointments, as adjunct professor in the Economics Department at Georgetown University from 1989 to 1994, and as visiting associate professor at the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania in Spring 1996.

Minouche Shafik initially went to the British Government's Department for International Development on secondment as Director General for Country Programmes where she was responsible for all of DFID's overseas offices and financing across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

Minouche Shafik served as IMF Deputy Managing Director from April 2011 until March 2014.

Minouche Shafik led the Bank's Fair and Effective Markets review to tackle misconduct in financial markets.

On 12 September 2016, it was announced that Minouche Shafik had been appointed as the next Director of the London School of Economics, replacing sociologist Craig Calhoun.

Minouche Shafik took up the post on 1 September 2017.

Minouche Shafik became president of Columbia University on 1 July 2023.

In November 2023, Minouche Shafik was invited to attend the 2023 United States Congress hearing on antisemitism, but declined, citing a scheduling conflict.

Republican lawmakers, whom Minouche Shafik initially intended to appeal to in her congressional testimony, called for her resignation.

On 29 April 2024, Minouche Shafik announced that negotiations with student protesters stalled and that the "university will not divest from Israel".

Minouche Shafik requested NYPD intervention for the second time in two weeks the following day, leading to the arrest of an additional 108 individuals.

Minouche Shafik was the editor of Economic Challenges Facing Middle Eastern and North African Countries.

Minouche Shafik has written articles for publications including Oxford Economic Papers, The Middle East Journal, Journal of African Finance and Economic Development, World Development, and the Journal of Development Economics.

Minouche Shafik has chaired several international consultative groups including: the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, the Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme, the Global Water and Sanitation Program, Cities Alliance, InfoDev, the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, and the Global Corporate Governance Forum.

Minouche Shafik served on a number of boards including the Middle East Advisory Group to the International Monetary Fund, and the Economic Research Forum for the Arab World, Iran and Turkey.

Minouche Shafik is active on the board and as a mentor to the Minority Ethnic Talent Association which supports under-represented groups to advance to senior positions in the civil service.

Minouche Shafik currently serves as a Trustee of the Council of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health, the New Economy Forum, and the Per Jacobsson Foundation.

In January 2025, Minouche Shafik was appointed chair of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Minouche Shafik was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the June 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Minouche Shafik was named "GG2 Woman of the Year" in 2009.

Minouche Shafik was named as one of Forbes 100 most powerful women in 2015 and received the 100 Women in Finance European Industry Leaders Award in 2019.

Minouche Shafik was gazetted as Baroness Shafik, of Camden in the London Borough of Camden and of Alexandria in the Arab Republic of Egypt, in the 2020 Political Honours and was introduced to the House of Lords on 15 October 2020.

Minouche Shafik sat as a crossbencher and made her maiden speech on 28 January 2021.

Minouche Shafik took a leave of absence from the House of Lords in July 2023, which ended by February 2025.

Minouche Shafik was elected an honorary fellow of the British Academy in 2021 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Utrecht University.

Minouche Shafik has been awarded a number of honorary doctorates: a Doctor of Laws from the University of Warwick, a DLitt from the University of Glasgow, a Doctor of Humane Letters from the American University of Beirut, a Doctor of Science from the University of Reading, and a Doctor of Laws from Columbia University.

Minouche Shafik married economist Mohamed El-Erian in 1990 during their time working for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, respectively.

In 2002, Minouche Shafik married her second husband, scientist Raffael Jovine, with whom she has twin children and three stepchildren.

Minouche Shafik is a dual American and British citizen and speaks English, Arabic, and French.