P Kumaran, a 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is set to be appointed as India’s High Commissioner to the UK, people familiar with the matter told HT.
He is still awaiting official confirmation of the appointment.
Kumaran is currently Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs and has significant diplomatic experience, having previously served as India’s Ambassador to Singapore and Qatar.
Kumaran holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics and Communications from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and is a career diplomat with vast experience in various regions and roles. He is married to Ritu Kumaran and they have two sons, according to the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He began his diplomatic career as Third Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Cairo (1994-1997), followed by posts in Tripoli as Second Secretary (1997-2000) and Brussels as First Secretary (2000-2003). He later served as Deputy Minister (Western Europe) at the Foreign Office from 2003 to 2005.
Kumaran went on to work as a regional passport officer in Bengaluru (2005-2007), after which he was posted to Islamabad as an advisor (2007-2009), followed by a stint in Washington in the same role (2009-2011). He then served as Deputy High Commissioner in Colombo from 2011 to 2014.
He returned to New Delhi as Joint Secretary in the Consular, Passports and Visas Section (2014-2016) before assuming his first ambassadorial assignment in Doha, where he served as Ambassador to Qatar from 2016 to 2020. He was subsequently appointed High Commissioner to Singapore (2020-2023).
In July 2023, he assumed the position of Additional Secretary (Department of Economic Relations and Development Partnership) in the Middle East and Africa region, and was later promoted to Special Secretary in the same department. He assumed the position of Secretary (East) on 1 April 2025.
