Kumar Iyer CMG

Biography

Kumar Iyer is the UK’s Ambassador-designate to the United Nations, WTO and other international organisations in Geneva. Until recently he was the Director General, Economics, Science and Technology at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). He had been a Director General at the FCDO since its formation in 2020. Before that Kumar was a Director General in the Prime Minister’s C-19 Taskforce and the Chief Economist at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) from 2019 to 2020. His career has been split between the private sector, public sector and academia.

Kumar has held senior roles in the private sector in management consultancy with the Boston Consulting Group and Oliver Wyman, including as a Partner within the Financial Service Practice. He was also a Senior Adviser to the board and global partnership of the international law firm, Clifford Chance.

Kumar was previously an Academic Visitor at Hertford College, Oxford University. He conducted his post-graduate studies at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University. Kumar was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University where he was also a Teaching Fellow in international finance and macroeconomics.

Kumar has spent the remainder of his career in the public sector including as:

  • British Deputy High Commissioner to India and Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia
  • Deputy Director of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, No.10 Downing St
  • Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning and Budget Coordination, HM Treasury

The UK’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva 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 World Intellectual Property Office, the International Telecommunication Union, the Conference on Disarmament, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, CERN, and the World Economic Forum.