Lagarde, 55, who led the global law firm Baker & McKenzie as its first female chairman from 1999 to 2004, doesn’t pull any punches, carries a good deal of clout in the world of international finance, and she’s a woman. The last credential, the paper notes, can’t hurt the IMF at this crucial point, as the organization is working to get back on track and back to business in an effort to distance itself from the sexual assault scandal surrounding Kahn. (Kahn issued a letter of resignation as managing director of the IMF late Wednesday.)
“What’s happened with Strauss-Kahn underscores how great it would be to have a woman in the role,” Kenneth S. Rogoff, a Harvard University professor and a former I.M.F. chief economist, told the Times.
