The UK appointed Harjinder Kang as His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for South Asia on Wednesday to lead the overseas effort to promote UK trade, investment, trade policy, and export finance. Kang will also serve as the British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India based in Mumbai with the responsibility of the states of Maharashtra, Goa, and Madhya Pradesh. Before being promoted, he was serving as UK's Chief Negotiator for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and will now be succeeded by Kate Thornley who previously served as the Deputy Chief Negotiator, a press release said.
In the new position, Kang will be playing a key role in supporting the implementation of the FTA which would bring enormous opportunities for UK businesses.
"It is an honour to be appointed as Trade Commissioner for South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, both vibrant and growing regions which are pivotal to the UK’s security and prosperity. I am deeply committed to fostering strong relationships between the UK and South Asia and am excited about the opportunities ahead as we strengthen our economic ties and forge new partnerships in the region to create jobs, promote innovation and drive economic growth at home and abroad," said Kang.
UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch while commenting on his promotion said, “I am delighted to welcome Harjinder to this role. He has been an integral part of our India trade deal negotiating team and I’m confident he will use that experience to build on our outstanding track record on trade in South Asia, expanding opportunities for British businesses in untapped markets. With an economy worth over £3.2 trillion and a growing population, a flourishing trade and investment relationship with South Asia holds vast potential for UK businesses and consumers.”
British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis said, “Many thanks to Alan Gemmell for all his work in the last three years and welcome to Harjinder, who is a great addition to the UK in India team, with his deep links to India and his understanding of the bilateral trade and investment relationship. Harjinder will be uniquely positioned to lead on our trade and investment team, our Consulate in Mumbai, and be a core part of our leadership team for the UK in India network.”
Harjinder Kang's Background
Prior to joining the Department for Business and Trade, he spent around 30 years at AstraZeneca and later became the Global Commercial Director. As a Director, he focused on creating affordable solutions for pharmaceutical access in the lesser developed regions. He is also a member of the Council of the University of Birmingham.
Harjinder is married and has three daughters. He was born in Jalandhar and moved to the United Kingdom with his parents at the age of 3.