Senior Indian diplomat Periasamy Kumaran has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.

A 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Kumaran is currently serving as Secretary (East) in the MEA and is expected to assume his new role shortly. He will succeed Vikram Doraiswami, who has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to China.

Kumaran brings with him over three decades of diplomatic experience, having held several key positions both in India and abroad. His early career included postings in Egypt, Libya, and Belgium, where he served in various capacities between 1994 and 2003.

After returning to India, he worked as Deputy Secretary in the MEA before taking on the role of Regional Passport Officer in Bengaluru. He later served as Counsellor in Islamabad and Washington, followed by a significant assignment as Deputy High Commissioner in Sri Lanka from 2011 to 2014.

In subsequent years, Kumaran held important leadership roles within the MEA, including Joint Secretary in the Consular, Passport and Visa Division. He also served as India’s Ambassador to Qatar from 2016 to 2020, where he played a key role in strengthening bilateral ties, particularly in trade and energy cooperation.

He then went on to serve as India’s High Commissioner to Singapore from 2020 to 2023, further enhancing India’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. In July 2023, Kumaran took charge as Additional Secretary handling Economic Relations and Development Partnership Administration, and was later elevated to Special Secretary.

On April 1, 2025, he assumed his current position as Secretary (East), overseeing India’s diplomatic engagements across key Asian regions.

Fluent in English, Tamil, Hindi, and Arabic, Kumaran is regarded as a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.

His appointment comes at a time when India-UK relations are witnessing renewed momentum, with both countries exploring deeper cooperation in trade, technology, and strategic affairs.