UK government today appointed Kumar Iyer, a former high-ranking official at the British Treasury and the Prime Minister’s strategy unit, as the new director general for UK Trade and Investment in an effort to increase bilateral trade and investment ties between UK and India.
Iyer, who has also been elected as British Deputy High Commissioner for western India, will assume office from August 5.
"My aim is to take the entire India-UK business relationship across the whole country to the highest possible level. I am very excited at the prospect of living and working in India, it’s a country of boundless energy, talent and potential. Having lived and studied in India whilst growing up, I am equally keen to play my part in promoting the academic, cultural and social links between our two countries," Iyer, an MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University, was quoted as saying in an official release.
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Born in London to parents of Indian origin, Iyer, spent his formative childhood years in India. He joined the British government in 2008 as Deputy Director, Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. In 2010 he moved to the Treasury, first as Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning & Budget, and then as Head of Financial Sector Interventions.
Prior to that he was at the Boston Consulting Group where he worked mainly in the Financial Services Practice but also for large multinational media and retail clients.
Bilateral ties between India and UK is at an all time low at present with some of the measures announced by the British government concerning visas. As part of a pilot scheme to check widespread misuse of British visas, the UK government has decided to seek Pound 3,000 (INR 3 lacs approx.) refundable bonds from Indians applying for UK visas. This has invited sharp criticism from the Indian government and industry at large.
