Christine Lagarde: a woman role model once said “Ask yourself every day; did I help another woman today?” Her words reflect her empathic nature and support for other women. Over the years, she has helped many women grow in their lives.
Christine Lagarde is the first woman to become finance minister of a G7 country. She has always been a big supporter of women in their growth. Today let us take a look back at her journey and see how she has helped women around the world.
Christine Lagarde Early Life and Childhood
Christine Lagarde was born on January 1, 1956, in Paris, France. Her parents were both professors, and she spent her childhood in Le Havre and in Washington D.C. where her father was a senior official at the OECD.
Lagarde excelled at school and entered law school at the University of Paris when she was only 17 years old. Before this, she tried to get into Ecole Nationale d’ Administration (a prestigious college in France) as she wished to pursue civil services. However, she failed twice but the failure didn’t affect her confidence. She studied law and after graduating, she began working as a lawyer at the international law firm Baker & McKenzie. She quickly rose through the ranks, and in 2005, she was appointed as the first female Managing Director of the IMF.
Lagarde had accepted the failure gracefully. In an interview Christine Lagarde shared ‘I was ashamed for not getting into the college but then I decided to take in and moved on to do something unique. After getting over the phase, I discovered that you learn from your failure and you should bounce back from a failure.’
Christine Lagarde: A Woman Role-model
Christine Lagarde: A Woman Role-model Career and Achievements
In the 1990s, Lagarde began to take on more high-profile government roles. She served as France’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance from 2007 to 2011, and as the Minister of Agriculture from 2005 to 2007. Lagarde also has a long history of involvement with the private sector, including time as a board member for companies like Nestlé, L’Oréal, and Barry Callebaut. She also served as the first female Chairman of the Global Board of the Chicago-based law firm White & Case.
Lagarde has been widely praised for her leadership of the IMF during the global financial crisis.
Throughout her career, Lagarde has received numerous awards and accolades. In 2015, she was named the “World’s Most Powerful Woman” by Forbes magazine, and in 2016 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama. She is also a seven-time recipient of the “CEO of the Year” award from the magazine Women’s Executive Network.
Christine Lagarde Work Areas, Thoughts, and Critics
Since taking office, Christine has been a vocal advocate for gender equality in the workplace and for the need to invest in young people through education and training. She has also been a strong supporter of global economic growth and has worked to promote cooperation among countries to achieve it.
She has also been instrumental in helping to resolve the European debt crisis and has been praised by both economists and politicians for her leadership skills.
Even with her many accomplishments, Lagarde is not without her critics. Some argue that she has been too supportive of austerity measures in debtor countries, and others claim that she has not done enough to address the IMF’s history of gender discrimination. Nevertheless, Lagarde’s numerous achievements make her one of the most influential women in the world today.
Christine Lagarde: A Woman Role-model
Christine Lagarde: A Woman Role-model Supporting Women’s Empowerment
In a speech delivered at Georgetown University in 2014, she said that “More women in decision-making positions is not only a matter of fairness or social justice. It is also an economic imperative.”
Her words have been echoed by many others in the business world. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, has said that “When women participate in the economy, everyone benefits. Families are more likely to be able to afford basics like food and housing. Communities are more likely to be prosperous. Countries are more likely to be stable.” Lagarde’s work in support of women has not gone unnoticed.
She has argued that increasing the number of women in the workforce would be a major boon to global economic growth. Christine has also been a strong supporter of the IMF’s work to promote gender equality. In 2013, she launched the IMF’s Women in Economics and Finance initiative, which aims to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the global economy.
In a recent interview with the IMF, Lagarde emphasized the importance of women in the workforce. “If we could get more women into the workforce that would be an enormous stimulus,” she said. Lagarde’s commitment to women’s empowerment is admirable. Her work at the IMF is helping to improve the lives of women all over the world.
Bottom Line
Christine Lagarde has had a remarkable career journey, achieving a great deal in a relatively short space of time. Her achievements are a testament to her hard work, determination, and skill. She has made a significant contribution to the world economy.
Despite facing several obstacles, she never gave up and eventually reached her goal. She is a great example of how determination and hard work can help you achieve anything you set your mind to.
Authored by Aashna Chawla
Edited by Yara Fakhoury
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