Lagarde had also served in the Government of France , most prominently as Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry from until She is the first woman to hold each of those posts.
Rising through the ranks, she was a member of the executive committee of the firm from until , before being elevated to its Chair between and ; she was the first woman in both positions. She held the top post until she decided to go into public service. Lagarde returned to France when appointed Minister of Foreign Trade from to , then briefly served as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries from May to June , and finally, as Minister of Finance from to , making her the first female to hold the finance portfolio of any Group of Eight economy.
During her tenure, Lagarde oversaw the government response to the β financial crisis , for which the Financial Times ranked her the best finance minister in the Eurozone. In , , and , Forbes ranked her number two on its World's Most Powerful Women list. Christine Lagarde was born in Paris , France, [ 13 ] into a family of teachers. Her father, Robert Lallouette, "born to a Jewish mother and a non-religious father.
Lagarde and her three younger brothers spent their childhood in Le Havre. As a teenager, Lagarde was a member of the French national synchronised swimming team. Capitol as Representative William Cohen 's congressional assistant, helping him correspond with French-speaking constituents from his northern Maine district during the Watergate hearings. She was a director of two of the firm's subsidiaries in tax havens. She joined the executive committee in and was elected the company's first female chairman in October In , Lagarde became president of the Global Strategic Committee.
As France's trade minister between and May , Lagarde prioritized opening new markets for the country's products, focusing on the technology sector. His candidacy was supported by many Latin American governments, as well as Spain, Canada and Australia. On 28 June , the IMF board elected Lagarde as its next managing director and chairman for a five-year term, starting on 5 July Lagarde became the first woman to be elected as the head of the IMF.
