Who Is Poonam Gupta? The Newly Appointed RBI Deputy Governor

She joined NCAER in 2021, bringing with her nearly 20 years of extensive experience in senior positions at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the appointment of Poonam Gupta, a former economist at the World Bank, as its new Deputy Governor on Wednesday. Her appointment comes just ahead of the RBI’s bi-monthly monetary policy committee meeting scheduled from April 7 to 9, 2025. Gupta will serve as Deputy Governor for a term of three years. She will succeed Michael Patra as Deputy Governor.

Currently, she holds the position of Director General at the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). In addition to her role at NCAER, Gupta serves as a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and is the Convener of the Advisory Council to the 16th Finance Commission.

Who Is Poonam Gupta

Gupta joined NCAER in 2021, bringing with her nearly 20 years of extensive experience in senior positions at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

In addition to her extensive professional experience, Gupta has held academic positions at prestigious institutions, including the Delhi School of Economics and the University of Maryland (USA). She has also served as a visiting faculty member at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Delhi, according to The Economic Times Report.

Her academic journey includes notable roles such as the RBI Chair Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) and Professor at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). The report added that Gupta is actively involved in several advisory and governance roles. She serves on the boards of NIPFP and the Global Development Network (GDN) and is a member of the World Bank’s advisory groups on ‘Poverty & Equity’ and the ‘World Development Report’.

She also contributes to policy-making as a member of the Development Advisory Committee of NITI Aayog and serves on the Executive Committee of FICCI. Notably, Gupta chaired the Task Force on Macroeconomics and Trade during India’s G20 Presidency, it added.

At NCAER, she leads research initiatives focusing on critical areas such as economic growth, international financial systems, central banking, macroeconomic stability, public debt, and state finances.

Gupta holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, USA, and a Master’s degree in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. She was honored with the 1998 EXIM Bank Award for her doctoral research on international economics.