SUMMARY

Christine Lagarde holds many firsts: first woman to serve as France's Minister of Finance, first woman to serve as the managing director of the International Monetary Fund and first woman to serve as President of the European Central Bank.

Educated in France and the US, Lagarde has led an international career and has often been named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. But according to Legarde, the road to success required her to face sexism head-on. She believes that it is the responsibility of women leaders to encourage their counterparts, to tell them, “I believe in you, I’m sure you can do it and I’ll support you.”