An active economist who has held significant positions in international organisations, Shafik became Director of the London School of Economics in September 2017. She was the youngest ever Vice-President of the World Bank, at the age of 36, served as the Bank of England’s Deputy Governor of Markets and Banking, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and Permanent Secretary of the United Kingdom Department for International Development. She has written extensively on the fields of globalisation, emerging markets and private investment, international development, the Middle East and Africa, and the environment. She was granted the title Dame Commander of the British Empire in the June 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours List. In 2020, she was permanently selected as a Member of the British House of Lords.