One of the leading candidates to be the IMF s next managing director has turned out to be a Frenchwoman, Christine Lagarde, who, as France s finance minister, helped lead her country through the Great Recession.

One of the leading candidates to be the IMF s next managing director has turned out to be a Frenchwoman, Christine Lagarde, who, as France s finance minister, helped lead her country through the Great Recession. She has been an outspoken advocate of financial sector reforms, and has won the respect of all of those with whom she has worked.