Lagarde Eyes WEF Presidency Amid Leadership Transition

Christine Lagarde, the chief of the European Central Bank (ECB), may be on track to take over as president of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2027. According to a Swiss newspaper report, Lagarde was described as a 'putative candidate' for the role at a board meeting near Geneva this week.

At the meeting, Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam suggested that the succession to current co-chairs Roche vice-chairman André Hoffmann and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink should be resolved internally. The board agreed that suitable candidates were available for the role.

Lagarde expressed her willingness to serve as president, thanking the 28-strong WEF board for their confidence in her. However, no specific date was set for her potential takeover, with only an agreement to hold the annual Davos gathering next January with Fink and Hoffmann still at the helm.