Christine Lagarde Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s a look at the life of Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank.
Personal
Birth date: January 1, 1956
Birth place: Paris, France
Birth name: Christine Madeleine Odette Lallouette
Father: Robert Lallouette, a professor of English literature
Mother: Nicole Lallouette, a professor of French, Latin and ancient Greek
Marriages: Wilfried Lagarde (1982-1992, divorced); Eachran Gilmour (divorced)
Children: with Wilfried Lagarde: Thomas and Pierre-Henri
Education: University Paris X Nanterre, J.D.; Political Science Institute in Aix en Provence, M.A.
Other Facts
Is an accomplished synchronized swimmer; earned a spot on the French national team while in her teens.
Speaks French, English and Spanish.
The first woman to serve as finance minister of a G7 nation, managing director of the IMF and now president of the European Central Bank.
Timeline
1981-2005 – Associate and later partner in the Paris office of the international law firm Baker & McKenzie.
1999-2005 – First female chairman at Baker & McKenzie.
July 2000 – Is appointed Knight of the Legion of Honour.
June 2, 2005-May 15, 2007 – Minister of Foreign Trade.
May 18-June 18, 2007 – Minister of Agriculture, Agribusiness and Forestry.
June 19, 2007-June 28, 2011 – Is the first woman to serve as the Minister of Finance, Economy and Trade in France.
June 28, 2011 – Is appointed as IMF Managing Director and Madame Chairman of the Executive Board, replacing Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
July 5, 2011 – Begins her five-year term as managing director of the IMF. The IMF discloses that Lagarde will receive an annual salary of $467,940 after taxes and an annual allowance of $83,760 for living expenses.
March 20, 2013 – Lagarde’s Paris home is searched as part of an investigation into her role in settling a business dispute while she was finance minister.
August 27, 2014 – Lagarde announces she has been placed under formal investigation in France for her alleged involvement in a long-running fraud case that stems from 2008 when she was finance minister under former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Prosecutors believe that Lagarde was negligent in dealing with a case in which a supporter of Sarkozy — Bernard Tapie — was awarded a settlement worth 285 million euros plus interest. Prosecutors believe Lagarde gave Tapie preferential treatment.
December 17, 2015 – It is announced that Lagarde has been ordered to appear in court over her alleged involvement in the Tapie fraud case.
May 15, 2016 – A French newspaper publishes an open letter signed by 17 leading women from government, including Lagarde, that says the behavior of France’s male elite must change. The letter states that while their political beliefs span a broad spectrum, they stand united. “We defend different ideas, but we share the will that sexism has no place in our society.”
July 2016 – Lagarde is appointed to her second five-year term as the Managing Director of the IMF.
July 22, 2016 – It is decided in a French court that Lagarde must stand trial over her handling of a long-running fraud case involving the rewarding of 285 million euros plus interest of public funds to Tapie.
September 12, 2016 – A French court rejects Lagarde’s appeal and sets a December trial date at a special court that tries ministers for crimes in office.
December 12, 2016 – Lagarde’s trial begins. She will take leave from her job but will still be “working during the evenings and at night with her [IMF] colleagues,” a spokesman said.
December 19, 2016 – Lagarde is found guilty of negligence but will not be fined or serve any time in jail.
December 4, 2018 – Forbes ranks Lagarde third on its list of the world’s most powerful women, behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
July 2, 2019 – Lagarde is chosen to succeed Mario Draghi as the president of the European Central Bank. Draghi’s eight-year term ends in October 2019. She announces via Twitter that she is temporarily stepping down as the head of the IMF during the nomination process.
July 16, 2019 – Lagarde announces her resignation from the IMF, effective September 12, 2019.
November 1, 2019 – Begins serving as president of the European Central Bank.
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