Friday March 29th, 2024
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An Egyptian Woman Becomes the First Ever Female Director of the London School of Economics

Egyptian-born Dame Nemat Shafik just became the first woman to be appointed Director of LSE, one of the world's most prestigious academic institutions.

Staff Writer

Egyptian-born Dame Nemat Shafik is set to become the first female to ever run the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The economist, who is a British and US national, resigned from her prominent central banking job as Deputy Governor of the Bank of England only two years into her five-year contract, in order to accept her upcoming position heading up LSE, according to The Guardian.

Shafik - who hails from the coastal city of Alexandria and is widely known by her nickname 'Minouche' - will officially commence in her new position as Director of LSE in September 2017. Shafik herself studied at the LSE and has since then gone on to hold a slew of prominent roles in high profile, highly prestigious institutions. Prior to her role at BoE, Shafik was Deputy Managing Director at the IMF from 2011 to 2014. Notably, over a decade ago, she also became youngest ever Vice President of the World Bank. 

In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II honoured Shafik for her outstanding contributions in her field and named her a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE). 

Regarding her upcoming role at LSE and decision to leave her term at the Bank of England early, Shafik said in a statement that she was leaving because it was “impossible to resist the opportunity to lead a world-class university like the LSE," according to the Financial Times. 

Shafik also said, “I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead the LSE. The School’s long tradition of bringing the best of social science research and teaching to bear on the problems of the day is needed now more than ever. LSE is a unique institution that combines intellectual excellence and global reach. I am looking forward to working with both staff and students to guide it through what will be a time of challenge and opportunity in the higher education sector.”

 

Main image courtesy of European Ceo.