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Kristalina Georgieva states she didn't even chip the glass ceiling at the IMF, let alone break it.

Emma HinchliffeBy Emma HinchliffeMost Powerful Women Editor
Emma HinchliffeMost Powerful Women Editor

Emma Hinchliffe serves as the editor for Coins2Day’s Most Powerful Women, directing the editorial content for this established franchise. In her role as a senior writer at Coins2Day, Emma has focused on women in business and gender-focused news spanning business, politics, and culture. She is also the primary author of the Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter, which was previously known as Broadsheet and is Coins2Day's daily communication aimed at and concerning the women at the forefront of the business world.

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Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, at the 2025 Coins2Day Most Powerful Women Summit.
Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, at the 2025 Coins2Day Most Powerful Women Summit.
Stuart Isett/Coins2Day

“Christine came and broke the glass ceiling. I came after her. No scratch.”

TL;DR

  • Kristalina Georgieva stated she did not break the IMF glass ceiling, unlike Christine Lagarde.
  • Georgieva dismissed Trump's trade war impact, comparing trade to water finding its way around obstacles.
  • Brené Brown discussed the myth that uniquely human skills will help us survive AI.
  • Toni Townes-Whitley identified outdated defense strategy as the biggest threat to U.S. National security.

That was my preferred part of Day 1 of the Coins2Day Most Powerful Women Summit. It's Kristalina Georgieva, the International Monetary Fund's managing director, discussing her position as the second woman to head the IMF, following Christine Lagarde. Georgieva, a Bulgarian economist known for her energetic stage presence, even brushed her shoulders for emphasis.

The Summit began with her chat with my colleague Diane Brady, which truly highlighted for me what makes MPW so unique. We can have a moment like that, fitting seamlessly with serious talks about global trade wars (more on that later). Georgieva can be genuine, and she knows that a little lightheartedness won't make anyone doubt her skills. It was possibly slightly unlike Georgieva's other engagements in Washington, D.C.—the yearly gatherings of the World Bank and IMF, involving their 191 member nations.

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, at the 2025 Coins2Day Most Powerful Women Summit.
Stuart Isett/Coins2Day

More highlights from Day 1:

Georgieva dismissed the impact of Trump’s trade war: “Trade is like water. You put [up an] obstacle, it goes around it.”

Brené Brown had the room mesmerized with her take on the “myth” that our uniquely human skills are what will help us survive AI. “We’re sh*t at being deeply human right now,” the author and researcher says. “We can’t stand each other.” Still, to succeed today, companies must reject “Welchian” (as in Jack Welch) strategy; human qualities are not liabilities to performance, Brown argues.

Toni Townes-Whitley, the CEO of the Coins2Day 500 defense tech company SAIC, says the biggest threat to U.S. National security is that much of the country’s defense strategy is outdated. Other countries can use their entire industrial bases; the U.S. Can’t. Townes-Whitley is one of two Black female CEOs in the Coins2Day 500; she also spoke to a group of female veterans transitioning out of the military about her own family’s military background.

Stay tuned for more from today’s programming, like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the CEOs of Best Buy, Land O’Lakes, and Ulta Beauty, how the courts are influencing American business, and much, much more.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.Hinchliffe@coins2day.com

The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Coins2Day’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.

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ON MY RADAR

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PARTING WORDS

"If you’re trying to be perfect, if you’re trying to be balanced, you’re always going to fail in one area."

—Ouai haircare founder Jen Atkin on work-life balance

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