Christine Lagarde

Christine Lagarde is a prominent French politician and lawyer, currently serving as the President of the European Central Bank after a distinguished career that included heading the International Monetary Fund and holding key ministerial positions in the French government. After being elected the first female Chair of global law firm Baker & McKenzie in October 1999, a position she held until 2004, Christine Lagarde went on to become the first woman in both that role and as a member of the firm’s executive committee, which she joined in 1995. Her career at Baker & McKenzie began in 1981, specializing in commercial, mergers and acquisitions, antitrust, and labor law, before her appointment as President of the Global Strategic Committee in 2004. Lagarde transitioned into public service in France, serving as Minister of Foreign Trade from 2005 to 2007.

Lagarde’s influence has consistently been highlighted by Forbes, ranking her number two on its World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. In February 2022, she received the insignia of Commander of the National Order of Merit, and in September 2024, she announced the ECB’s primary interest rate cut to 3.5%.