Rajiv Kumar, a well known economist and the author of several books, joined the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) as Director General in October 2010 and, from May 24, 2011, he has taken the role of Secretary General. Prior to FICCI, he was Director & Chief Executive of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), one of India’s leading independent economic policy think tanks.

He is a non-executive member of the Central Board of Directors of the State Bank of India; a member of the G-20 Advisory Group, Ministry of Finance, Government of India; Member of India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) Board of Trustees; and has a seat on the Board of Directors for the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF). He is also a member of the Expert Committee of the National Small Savings Fund, (NSSF) of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Dr. Kumar was a member of the National Security Advisory Board for 2006-2008.

From 1987-1989, Dr Kumar taught at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade; subsequently, he worked for the Government of India from 1989 to 1995, first in the Bureau of Industrial Costs and Prices, Ministry of Industry and then as Economic Adviser in the Department of Economic Affairs Ministry of Finance. In 1995, Dr. Kumar joined the Asian Development Bank, in Manila and assumed several positions during his ten year term. In 2004, he returned to India to join the Confederation of Indian Industries, New Delhi as Chief Economist.

He has a D.Phil. in Economics from Oxford University and a Ph.D from Lucknow University. His latest book, Many Futures of India, published in April 2011 is a compilation of his columns in some of India’s leading dailies. He contributes a regular column to Business Line, a leading business daily; his views on matters relating to the economy are widely sought.