Frederic Lambert: Helping Economies Across the World

Frederic Lambert is the Deputy Division Chief of the International Monetary Fund. He graduated with a Masters degree in Public Service from Sciences Po in 1998. Lambert chose to attend Sciences Po because he was seeking a more intellectual and theoretical background. He is grateful for his time at Sciences Po. “I tremendously enjoyed my two years at Sciences Po. These were probably the best two years of my education,” he says.

Lambert’s goal after graduation was to enter the field of public administration. While at Sciences Po, he found himself surrounded by like minded individuals with a strong ambition to help the world, as well as talented professors. “We had a lot of seminars with people that provided a lively intellectual life,” he says. “You saw professors in class and then heard them on France Culture in the morning.” Lambert reflects on a former professor who was a civil servant for the Ministry of Finance that inspired him to follow a career in economics. 

After graduation Lambert completed his military service in the budget office of the French military. Here, he was exposed to work in the Ministry of Defense while simultaneously completing another Masters in economics. After his service, he began working at the Banque de France, where he stayed for five years. The Banque de France selected Lambert to attain a PhD at New York University in New York, after which he worked as the Head of International Monetary Relations Division. He also spent his time at the Banque de France working as an adjunct professor teaching economics at Sciences Po. 

During his time as an economist, Lambert worked through multiple key world events. He was at the Banque de France as the Euro became the currency of Europe, and when France held the presidency of the G20 Summit. In light of the financial crisis of 2008, Lambert worked in European economics when leaders and citizens were reeling from the crash and looking for reforms and safety nets.

He began working for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2015 in the Monetary and Capital Markets Department. He currently holds the position of Deputy Division Chief and is the Mission Chief of Madagascar. The IMF is engaged in a three year lending program with Madagascar. Lambert is working on adjustments to this program as money prices rise and climate change affects Madagascar. “You have to navigate uncertainties and shocks,” he says. “When the world economy is growing steadily things are easier. When you work with fragile countries, the challenge is that the countries have a limited capacity to implement new policies. You have to make sure that they are provided the assistance they need to implement economic policies you agreed upon with them.”

Lambert explains how his time at Sciences Po equipped him with tools to handle these economic challenges. “Sciences Po teaches you how to think and approach problems,” he says. “There was a lot of emphasis on methodology and oral argumentation. Whenever I speak with the Minister of Finance or the Governor of the Central Bank of Madagascar, I recall what I learned at Sciences Po.”

Lambert leaves a word of advice for younger students interested in economics: “Go for it. You have to be passionate about what you want to do. It took me a while to learn what I was really interested in, and now I am extremely happy. If this is something that interests you, you have to be motivated. It is not straightforward or easy, but if you seize opportunities you will excel at what you are interested in.”