The second senior official at the International Monetary Fund, Geoffrey Okamoto, will step down early next year and be succeeded by the fund’s chief economist Gita Gopinath, months after the organization’s top leadership passed. a big scandal.
The IMF on Thursday announced the unexpected departure of Okamoto, who was appointed first deputy managing director in March 2020 and named after Gopinath, who has served as the fund’s chief economist since in 2019, replacing him.
Gopinath, who is expected to return to his post at Harvard University, will take up the role on January 21.
“Both Geoffrey and Gita were great colleagues – I am sad to see Geoffrey leave, but at the same time, I am delighted that Gita has decided to stay and take on new responsibilities,” said Kristalina Georgieva, chief operating officer. once run by the IMF, in a statement. “She was the right person at the right time. . . I appreciate her sound judgment, good advice, and unwavering support. “
The switch comes after Georgieva was accused in September of manipulating data to benefit China during her time at the World Bank – accusations she has repeatedly denied. The IMF executive board chose to retain her in October after careful consideration and said it had “full confidence” in her ability to carry out her responsibilities.
In a statement released on Thursday, Okamoto, who previously served in the Treasury Department under the Trump administration, said he would return to the private sector.
