Kumar Iyer
{{Short description|British economist and diplomat}}
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Kumar Sabapathy Iyer {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CMG}} is a British economist and diplomat. He is currently the United Kingdom’s Ambassador & Permanent Representative-designate to the United Nations, World Trade Organisation and other International Organisations based in Geneva.{{Cite web |title=Change of UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, WTO, and other International Organisations in Geneva |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-uk-ambassador-and-permanent-representative-to-the-un-wto-and-other-international-organisations-in-geneva |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}
The UK’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative oversees the work of the UK Mission in Geneva and represents the United Kingdom in its engagement with over 35 international organisations, agencies and offices based in the city. These include the UN Human Rights Council, the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Telecommunication Union, the World Intellectual Property Office, the Conference on Disarmament, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, CERN, and the World Economic Forum.
His career has been split between the private sector, public sector and academia.{{Cite web |title=Kumar Iyer |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/kumar-iyer |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}
Early life
Born in London, Iyer grew up in India and then Stoke-on-Trent, and went to school at Blurton High School and then Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College, and then read economics at Durham University (BA).{{Cite web |date=2015-12-01 |title=Iyer, Kumar Sabapathy |url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-283867 |access-date=2019-06-07 |website=Who's Who (UK) |publisher=A & C Black |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u283867|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4 }} As an undergraduate he served as President of the Durham Union.{{cite journal |title=News|journal=Durham First |date=Spring 1999 |issue=9 |page=28 |publisher=Durham University}} He continued his education at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (MPhil), where he was a Bank of England scholar. He was later a Kennedy Scholar and Teaching Fellow in International Capital Markets at Harvard University.{{Cite web |title=Kumar Iyer appointed new Foreign Office Chief Economist |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/kumar-iyer-appointed-new-foreign-office-chief-economist |access-date=2019-06-07 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}
Career
Iyer joined the civil service, being hired from Boston Consulting Group into the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit in 2008 as part of the UK government's response to the 2007 financial crisis.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-deputy-high-commissioner-for-western-india-announced|title=New British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India announced|website=GOV.UK|language=en|access-date=2019-06-07}} In 2010 he transferred to HM Treasury as the Deputy Director for Strategy, Planning & Budget, and then as the Head of Financial Sector Interventions.
From 2013 until 2017, Iyer served as India as the FCO's Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, based in Mumbai, and simultaneously as UK Trade & Investment's Director General for Economics, Trade and Commercial Affairs in South Asia, a role currently known as Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner.{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/kumar-iyer-appointed-new-director-general-for-uk-trade-investment-113080100661_1.html|title=Kumar Iyer appointed new director general for UK Trade, Investment|last=Basu|first=Nayanima|date=2013-08-01|work=Business Standard India|access-date=2019-06-07}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-deputy-high-commissioner-western-india-announced|title=New British Deputy High Commissioner Western India announced|website=GOV.UK|language=en|access-date=2019-06-07}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/globalbusiness/10323125/Opening-up-India-to-SMEs.html|title=Opening up India to SMEs|last=Burn-Callander|first=Rebecca|date=2013-09-22|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2019-06-07|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}
After leaving his post in India, Iyer worked as a "Visiting Academic" at Hertford College, Oxford, and as a senior partner in Oliver Wyman. In June 2019, it was announced that Iyer would serve as the Foreign & Commonwealth Office's first chief economist, on the FCO Board. He was consequently the FCO's first ethnic-minority Board member.{{Cite web|url=https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/551201-uk-foreign-office-board-gets-first-indian-origin-member|title=UK Foreign Office Board gets first Indian-origin member|last=PTI|website=Devdiscourse|language=en|access-date=2019-06-07}}
Iyer was a Director General in the Prime Minister's COVID-19 Taskforce, after which he was appointed as the Director General Economics, Science and Technology at the FCDO. This was part of structural changes in the Department to meet the immediate and long-term challenges posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.[https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/9412/documents/161198/default/ Correspondence from the Foreign Secretary relating to reorganised FCDO structures], dated 21/03/2022. Foreign Affairs Committee, UK Parliament. Retrieved 14 June 2022. In this role, Iyer coordinated international economic policy, including oversight of the UK's sanctions regime – ensuring the FCDO makes full use of all economic tools in its foreign policy.
Prior to his appointment as UK's Ambassador to the UN, Iyer served as a Senior Adviser to the Board and Global Partnership of Clifford Chance.
Iyer was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to British foreign policy.{{London Gazette|issue=64082|supp=y|page=B4|date=17 June 2023}}
Personal life
Iyer married Kathryn Ann Worth, a criminal barrister at Middle Temple in 2004; they have one son and one daughter.
References
External links
- [https://www.gov.uk/government/people/kumar-iyer Iyer's page on the British government's site]
- [https://www.some.ox.ac.uk/people/kumar_iyer/ Iyer's page at Somerville College's site]
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Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Category:Harvard University alumni
Category:British civil servants
Category:Alumni of University College, Durham
Category:Presidents of the Durham Union
Category:English people of Indian descent
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