When Rajiv Kumar recently joined the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Ficci) as director-general, speculation was rife that he would replace secretary-general Amit Mitra. While that rumour has been laid to rest, the two share uncanny parallels. For example, the 59-year-old Kumar is an alumnus of Benares Hindu University and completed his DPhil in economics from Oxford University. Mitra completed his masters in economics from Delhi School of Economics, before being awarded a doctorate from Duke University in the US.
Kumar’s induction into Ficci comes at a time when it is wielding increasing influence on policymaking. In a career spanning more than 25 years, Kumar has held several key positions in a wide range of institutions, private and government. He has been a member of the National Security Advisory Board and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. He was also economic adviser in the department of economic affairs.
Prior to joining as director at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations in 2006, he was chief economist at Confederation of Indian Industries. He was supposed to take charge as director of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies, a part of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, in August 2010. But he chose to join Ficci instead. Kumar is one of the few people, who have served in both apex industry chambers, CII and Ficci. That will certainly prove useful in the days ahead.