Ambassador Vikram Misri, a seasoned diplomat who is regarded as an expert on China, assumed charge as India's new foreign secretary on Monday. A 1989-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Misri succeeded Vinay Kwatra.
Misri's appointment to the key position came at a time when India is looking to navigate various foreign policy challenges, including its frosty ties with China following the lingering eastern Ladakh border row. He had previously served in various capacities at the Ministry of External Affairs, in the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi, and in various Indian Missions abroad in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America.
"Shri Vikram Misri assumed charge as Foreign Secretary today. #TeamMEA extends a warm welcome to Foreign Secretary Misri and wishes him a successful tenure ahead," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on X.
Misri, who has served as private secretary to three prime ministers -- Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi, was serving as the deputy national security advisor (Dy NSA) in his previous assignment.
Before he was appointed as the deputy NSA, Misri served as India's ambassador to China from 2019-2021.
He is believed to have played a key role in talks between India and China after tensions flared significantly following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. The ties between India and China nosedived following a fierce clash in the Galwan Valley that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
In his illustrious career, Misri also served as India's ambassador to Spain (2014-2016) and Myanmar (2016-2018) besides having stints in many Indian missions, including Pakistan, the US, Germany, Belgium, and Sri Lanka.
About Vikram Misri, India's New Foreign Secretary
Ambassador Misri was born in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar. He completed his early education at Burn Hall School and DAV School in Srinagar as well as Carmel Convent School in Udhampur. He finished his schooling at the Scindia School in Gwalior and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree with Honours in History from the Hindu College, University of Delhi.
He also holds an MBA degree from XLRI, Jamshedpur. Before joining the government, he worked for three years in the private sector in the fields of advertising (Lintas India - Bombay and Contract Advertising - Delhi) and advertising film-making. Ambassador Misri is a fellow of the Aspen Institute USA´s India Leadership Initiative (now the Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship).
He speaks fluent Hindi, English, and Kashmiri and has a working knowledge of French. Misri is married to Dolly Misri and the couple have two children.