Two Indian-origin trailblazers meet in Davos: See Gita Gopinath’s pic with Leena Nair

They are both women of Indian origin. They are both breaking the proverbial glass ceiling their own fields. One is an economist -- the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, to be precise – and the other is the global chief executive of French luxury fashion house Chanel.

In the normal course of things, their paths might never have crossed. But IMF chief Gita Gopinath ran into Chanel CEO Leena Nair at the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos and took a picture to commemorate the occasion.

“Great to finally meet Leena Nair. Only in Davos does an economist run into a fashion mogul,” Gopinath, 52, captioned the photograph.
The tiny Swiss town of Davos plays host every year to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, attended by world leaders, economists, businessmen and the international elite.

Gopinath was born and raised in India. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree from Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram College, she went on to do her Master’s from the Delhi School of Economics. She holds a PhD from Princeton.

Between 2019 and 2022, Gopinath served as chief economist of the IMF. In January 2022, she was appointed deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, which is the organisation’s number-two position.