Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde (French: [kʁistin madlɛn ɔdɛt laɡaʁd]; née Lallouette, IPA: [lalwɛt]; born 1 January 1956) is a French politician and lawyer who has been the President of the European Central Bank since 2019. She previously served as the 11th Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2011 to 2019. Lagarde had also served in the Government of France, most prominently as Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry from 2007 until 2011. She is the first woman to hold each of those posts.[1]

Born and raised in Paris, Lagarde graduated from law school at Paris Nanterre University and obtained a Master's degree from Sciences Po Aix. After being admitted to the Paris Bar, she joined the international law firm Baker & McKenzie as an associate in 1981, specializing in labor and anti-trust, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Rising through the ranks, she was a member of the executive committee of the firm from 1995 until 1999, before being elevated to its Chair between 1999 and 2004; she was the first woman in both positions. She held the top post until she decided to go into public service.

Lagarde returned to France when appointed Minister of Foreign Trade from 2005 to 2007, then briefly served as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries from May to June 2007, and finally, as minister of finance from 2007 to 2011, making her the first female to hold the finance portfolio of any Group of Eight economy. During her tenure, Lagarde oversaw the government response to the 2007–2008 financial crisis, for which the Financial Times ranked her the best finance minister in the Eurozone.[2]

On 5 July 2011, she was elected to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn as managing director of the IMF for a five-year term.[3][4][5] Her appointment was the 11th consecutive appointment of a European to head the IMF.[6] She was selected by consensus for a second five-year term, starting 5 July 2016, being the only candidate nominated for the post.[7] In December 2016, a French court convicted her of negligence relating to her role in the Bernard Tapie arbitration,[8] but did not impose a penalty. Lagarde resigned from the IMF following her nomination as president of the ECB.

In 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023, Forbes ranked her number two on its World's 100 Most Powerful Women list.[9][10][11]

William Riley is professor for the Science of Health Care Delivery in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University (ASU). Riley is a leading authority in health care finance and serves as the director of the National Safety Net Advancement Center, which assists safety net organizations respond to health care payment reform. Riley is also a national and international expert in quality improvement methods, techniques, and implementation. He leads translational research projects in international settings, oral health value-based care, and multisector alignment to achieve a culture of health.

Riley’s research includes a longitudinal nationwide study funded by the Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to improve perinatal outcomes and reduce malpractice cost. He also led a five-year study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to examine high reliability teams for state health department emergency operations centers. He has led numerous quality improvement collaboratives (QIC) in hospitals, health care systems, and public health departments. One of his quality improvement projects was selected by the Institute for Quality Health Improvement (IHI) as a top ten innovation in 2006. Riley is the author of more than 80 scientific articles and is coauthor of two books on applying quality improvement methods and techniques in health care.

Riley has more than 20 years’ executive experience as a former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of several health care organizations, including a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota subsidiary, a large multispecialty medical group, and an integrated delivery system. Prior to joining ASU, he was the associate dean for the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.

Education

Ph.D. University of Minnesota, School of Public Health 1982

Rachida Dati (French pronunciation: [ʁaʃida dati]; born 27 November 1965) is a French politician and former magistrate who has been serving as Minister of Culture since January 2024 in the government of Gabriel Attal and government of Michel Barnier.

Dati previously served as Minister of Justice from 2007 to 2009 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. A member of The Republicans (LR), she also served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 to 2019, representing Île-de-France. Dati was a spokesperson for Sarkozy during his 2007 presidential campaign. Following his victory, Sarkozy appointed her to the Government.

She was elected to the mayorship of the 7th arrondissement of Paris in 2008, when she also entered the Council of Paris. In the 2020 Paris municipal election, she unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of Paris against incumbent Anne Hidalgo. Following the election, she was installed as opposition leader in the Council of Paris.