Former diplomat and India’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations joins the Reserve Bank of India’s Central Board as a part time, non official director
Hyderabad, Sept 02: Syed Akbaruddin, Dean of Kautilya School of Public Policy, GITAM University, has been appointed as a part-time, non-official director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a four-year term. The appointment has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
Akbaruddin joins the Central Board alongside Annie George Mathew, former Special Secretary, Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, and Janmejaya Kumar Sinha, Chairman of Boston Consulting Group India. The appointments bring together experience across diplomacy, public finance, economic policy and business strategy.
A 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Akbaruddin brings more than three decades of experience across diplomacy, international affairs and public policy. He served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2016 to 2020 and was earlier the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Commenting on the appointment, Shri Syed Akbaruddin, Dean, Kautilya School of Public Policy, said, “It is an honour and a privilege to serve on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India, one of the country’s premier public institutions. I am grateful for the trust placed in me and look forward to contributing, with humility and diligence to its deliberations in the service of India’s economy and people.”
Akbaruddin has been serving as Dean of Kautilya School of Public Policy since 2021, following his diplomatic career. At Kautilya, he has been involved in building an institution focused on developing professionals equipped to understand and engage with complex public policy challenges.
His appointment to the RBI Central Board adds another dimension to his longstanding engagement with public institutions and policy. It also brings experience in international diplomacy and multilateral affairs to a board whose deliberations increasingly intersect with developments in the global economy, international trade and geopolitics.
The RBI’s Central Board is responsible for the general superintendence and direction of the affairs and business of the central bank. As a part time, non official director, Akbaruddin will contribute his experience in international affairs, diplomacy and public policy to the Board’s deliberations.