Vikram Misri

Vikram Misri
Misri in 2019
35th Foreign Secretary of India
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 July 2024
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
MinisterS. Jaishankar
Preceded byVinay Mohan Kwatra
Deputy National Security Advisor of India
In office
1 January 2022 – 14 July 2024
Preceded byPankaj Saran
Succeeded byPavan Kapoor
26th Ambassador of India to the People’s Republic of China
In office
8 January 2019 - 11 December 2021
Preceded byGautam Bambawale
Succeeded byPradeep Kumar Rawat
Personal details
Born (1964-11-07) 7 November 1964 (age 60)
Srinagar, India
Alma mater
Vikram Misri calling on the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 15 January 2018

Vikram Misri (born 7 November 1964) is an Indian diplomat. He currently serves as the 35th Foreign Secretary of India from July 2024 onwards. Previously, he served as the Deputy National Security Advisor of India from 1 January 2022, succeeding Pankaj Saran till 14 July 2024.[1] Whereas, he has served as the ambassador of India to China from January 2019 to December 2021.[2]

Previously, he served as the private secretary to Prime Ministers Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi,[3] and also as the Indian ambassador to Spain and Myanmar.[4][5]

Early life and education

Misri was born on 7 November 1964 in Srinagar, India to a Kashmiri Hindu family.[6] He attended Burn Hall school and DAV school in Srinagar and Carmel convent school in Udhampur.[7] He completed his early education at the Scindia School. He then completed his undergraduate degree in history from the Hindu College of the University of Delhi. He also completed an MBA at the XLRI – Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur.[8]

Career

After completing his education, Misri worked for three years in advertising.[4] He did stints with Lintas India in Mumbai and contact advertising in Delhi.[9] He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1989. Between 1991 and 1996, he served in various capacities in the Indian missions in Brussels and Tunis.[4] He was appointed the Private Secretary to Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral in 1997.[4] Following this, he had various stints in the Prime Ministers Office and Ministry of External Affairs, as well as several Indian missions abroad.

In 2012, he was appointed the private secretary to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.[10] He continued to serve in that capacity when Singh was succeeded by Narendra Modi. He was appointed the ambassador to Spain in 2014.[11] He was appointed the ambassador to Myanmar in 2016.

In 2019, he was appointed the ambassador to China. He was ambassador during the 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes and held a series of meetings with senior Chinese officials, including Liu Jianchao to discuss the tensions.[12][13][14] He was appointed as the Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA) from 1 January 2022.[15]

Foreign Secretary

On 28 June 2024, it was announced that Mr. Misri will succeed Vinay Mohan Kwatra to assume the post of Foreign Secretary of India. On 15 July 2024, he became the 35th Foreign Secretary of India.[16]

Personal life

He is married to Dolly Misri and has two children.[4] He is fluent in English, Hindi, and Kashmiri, and has a working knowledge of French.[4]

He is a fellow of ASPEN Institute USA's India leadership initiative, now known as the Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship.[17]

References

  1. ^ "China expert Vikram Misri, who has been aide to 3 PMs, is India's new deputy NSA". Hindustan Times. 27 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Amb Vikram Misri had farewell call on Chinese FM Wang Yi, expressed hope for complete resolution of border issues soon". NewsOnAIR. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  3. ^ PTI (20 July 2014). "Sanjeev Kumar Singla appointed private secretary to PM Narendra Modi". mint. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Ambassador's Profile". Embassy of India, Beijing, China. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Vikram Misri Biography: Birth, Age, Early Life, Family, Education, Career, Assignments, and More". Jagranjosh.com. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  6. ^ Oberoi, Surinder Singh (16 July 2024). "Ambassador Vikram Misri becomes 3rd Kashmiri to assume charge of India's Foreign Secretary". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  7. ^ Pratap, Rishabh Madhavendra (15 July 2024). "Vikram Misri, 1989 Batch IFS Officer Assumes Charge As New Foreign Secretary". Times Now. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Vikram Misri takes charge as India's new envoy to China". The Hindu. PTI. 8 January 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Vikram Misri, 1989 Batch IFS Officer Assumes Charge As New Foreign Secretary". Times Now. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Reshuffle in PMO: IFS officer Vikram Misri made private secy". Hindustan Times. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Sanjeev Kumar Singla appointed as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi". India Today. PTI. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  12. ^ Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy. "Indian envoy to China Vikram Misri meets top party functionary to discuss LAC tensions". The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  13. ^ Basu, Nayanima (14 August 2020). "India seeks more engagement with China on border row, envoy Misri meets top Chinese officials". The Print. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Indian envoy meets Chinese vice foreign minister, emphasises on complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. ANI. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  15. ^ economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india, The Economic Times. "Who is Vikram Misri? Know all about India's new Foreign Secretary". The Economic Times India. The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Vikram Misri named India's next foreign secretary, who is he?". Firstpost. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Vikram Misri, 1989 Batch IFS Officer Assumes Charge As New Foreign Secretary". Times Now. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.