Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin is the founding Dean of the Kautilya School of Public Policy and a distinguished former diplomat with over three decades of service in the Indian Foreign Service. He served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations until his retirement in 2020 and was the Ministry of External Affairs’ Official Spokesperson from 2012 to 2015. He also held key roles at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna from 2006 to 2011. His earlier diplomatic assignments included postings in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UN Mission in New York. Since retiring, he has been an active commentator on global public policy. He holds a Master’s in International Relations from the Australian National University.