As US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen epitomises the centre-left views of the new US administration. Her confirmation also heralds the breaking of not one but two glass ceilings, as she was also the first woman to head the Federal Reserve (Fed), the US central bank.
Ms Yellen has invaluable experience when it comes to tackling the economic recovery in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, having helped steer the US out of the recession that followed the 2008 financial crisis — first as Fed vice-chair from 2010-2014 and then as head of the monetary authority from 2014-2018.
