French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, 55, is the first woman to head the IMF.
A medal-winning member of France's synchronized swimming team as a teenager and the first female chairman of US law firm Baker MacKenzie, Lagarde won respect in the markets during the global financial crisis and helped promote France's negotiating clout in key forms like the Group of 20.
A flawless English speaker, Lagarde was voted best finance minister in Europe by the Financial Times in 2009.
Despite the widespread call from emerging economies for their candidate to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the IMF board announced on Tuesday it will name French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde to the position.Special: IMF leadership battle
A French novelist will file a criminal complaint on Tuesday accusing Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape, her lawyer said, throwing fresh uncertainty into a fierce national debate about whether the former International Monetary Fund chief can return to his country's presidential race.
France on Tuesday hailed the "victory" of its finance minister Christine Lagarde in winning the post of the chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
A backroom deal between Europe and the United States to select a new IMF chief could undermine the legitimacy of the global lender as well as a G20 commitment to give emerging economies a greater voice