Christine Lagarde, who currently heads the European Central Bank (ECB), will see her term expire next year. There is already much speculation about what position she might take on next. According to the Swiss newspaper NZZ, Lagarde could take over as president of the World Economic Forum (WEF) during 2027.
At the latest WEF board meeting, held near Geneva, Christine Lagarde was mentioned as a “potential candidate” to lead the organisation. According to sources cited by the WEF, Lagarde also indicated that she would be willing to accept the nomination.
The WEF board is currently co-chaired by André Hoffmann, who is also vice-chairman of the international biotechnology company Roche, and Larry Fink, chief executive of BlackRock. They are overseeing the leadership transition following the retirement of the organisation’s founder, Klaus Schwab, last year.
The WEF traditionally handles succession internally, which could make the process relatively straightforward for Christine Lagarde, who has been a member of the WEF board for several terms. Lagarde has already thanked the 28-member board for its confidence.
The question now is when Lagarde could take up the position. This is likely to be possible only from the second half of 2027, as the January 2027 annual meeting in Davos has already been prepared by the current leadership and will be overseen by them.
During this period, Lagarde is expected to be involved in the campaign for the French presidential election.
