The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced that Periasamy Kumaran, currently serving as Secretary (East), has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. In an official statement on Thursday, the Ministry said, “Shri Periasamy Kumaran (IFS:1992), presently Secretary in the Ministry, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. He is expected to assume his new role shortly.”

Kumaran, a 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has extensive diplomatic experience across multiple regions. He began his career as Third Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Cairo (1994–1997), followed by postings in Tripoli (1997–2000) and Brussels (2000–2003). He then served as Deputy Secretary (Europe West) in the MEA (2003–2005) and later as Regional Passport Officer in Bengaluru (2005–2007).

His overseas assignments also include roles as Counsellor in Islamabad (2007–2009) and Washington (2009–2011), and as Deputy High Commissioner in Colombo (2011–2014). He went on to serve as Joint Secretary (Consular, Passport Visa Division) in the MEA from 2014 to 2016, followed by a tenure as Ambassador of India to Qatar (2016–2020) and High Commissioner to Singapore (2020–2023).

In July 2023, Kumaran became Additional Secretary (Economic Relations Development Partnership Administration) and was subsequently promoted to Special Secretary in the same division. On April 1, 2025, he took over as Secretary (East) in the MEA. He will succeed Vikram Doraiswami as India’s High Commissioner to the UK.

Doraiswami has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to China. China welcomed his appointment, signaling readiness to facilitate his transition as both countries aim to stabilize bilateral relations. In a post on X, the Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing stated, “China welcomes India’s newly appointed ambassador to China, Vikram K. Doraiswami (Wei Jiameng, his Chinese name), and stands ready to provide every convenience for him to take up his post in China.” Doraiswami, who joined the IFS in 1992, worked in journalism for a year before entering the diplomatic service.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.