Vinay Kwatra

Vinay Kwatra assumed charge as the ambassador of India to the United States of America on Aug. 12, 2024.

Kwatra joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988. In a career spanning over 36 years, he has served in senior roles both in Delhi and across the globe. Most recently, he served as India’s foreign secretary from May 2022 to July 2024. Prior to that, he served as ambassador of India to Nepal from March 2020 to April 2022, and as both ambassador to France and permanent representative to UNESCO from August 2017 to February 2020.

This is Kwatra’s second stint in Washington, D.C.: From May 2010 to July 2013, he served as the head of the commercial wing of the embassy. His previous foreign assignments include the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu as director and joint secretary (2006–2010), in Beijing as the deputy chief of mission (2003–2006) and in several other roles spanning Tashkent, Durban, Karachi and Geneva.

At headquarters, Kwatra has served as joint secretary in the prime minister’s office (2015–2017) and has headed several divisions of the Ministry of External Affairs, including the divisions for the Americas, public policy and research, and counterterrorism.