Diversity is key, says new IMF boss Christine Lagarde

Christine Lagarde has promised to diversify staff and make the IMF more open for developing countries (EPA)

The new chief of the International Monetary Fund has promised to diversify staff and make the institution more open for developing countries.

Christine Lagarde is the first woman to hold the top job at the international lending organisation. She was chosen after her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, resigned in May to fight charges that he sexually assaulted a New York hotel maid.

Ms Lagarde is under pressure to address the IMF's reputation as a melting pot of international elites - one that was known for male-dominated clubbiness well before the scandal.

She said: "The value of diversity is top on my list of priorities It's not just gender diversity, it's about culture, it's about academic background."