Periasamy Kumaran, currently serving as Secretary (East) in India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), has been named the country’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, the MEA confirmed on Thursday. A 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Kumaran is set to assume the role shortly, succeeding Vikram Doraiswami, who has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to China.
Kumaran has held the position of Secretary (East) since April 1, 2025. His career in diplomacy began after joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1992. His initial assignments included postings as Third Secretary in Cairo (1994-1997), Second Secretary in Tripoli (1997-2000), and First Secretary in Brussels (2000-2003). Upon returning to India, he served as Deputy Secretary [Europe West] from 2003 to 2005.
He has held multiple important roles, including Regional Passport Officer in Bangalore (2005-2007), Counsellor at India’s High Commission in Islamabad (2007-2009), Counsellor in Washington D.C. (2009-2011), and Deputy High Commissioner in Colombo (2011-2014). Between 2014 and 2016, Kumaran was Joint Secretary for the Consular, Passport, and Visa Division at the MEA.
Kumaran also served as India’s Ambassador to Qatar from 2016 to 2020 and as High Commissioner to Singapore from 2020 to 2023. In July 2023, he became Additional Secretary for Economic Relations and Development Partnership Administration and was later promoted to Special Secretary (Economic Relations) and DPA. Fluent in English, Tamil, Hindi, and Arabic, Kumaran brings extensive diplomatic experience to his new assignment in London, further strengthening India-UK ties.
