Mr. Ashok Sajjanhar, who has Honors and Masters Degree in Physics from Delhi University, commenced his service career as a Staff Officer in one of India’s largest Public Sector Banks – Bank of India. Switching to a career in diplomacy, Mr. Sajjanhar has held various significant positions in Indian Embassies in Moscow, Teheran, Geneva, Dhaka, Bangkok, Washington, Brussels and Astana. Mr. Sajjanhar’s professional interests include International Trade and during his assignment in Geneva from 1988 to 1992, he made significant contribution while representing India in the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade negotiations. He continued to negotiate on behalf of India up to 1994. Mr. Sajjanhar has held the position of Director, Indian Foreign Service Institute, New Delhi where he introduced many innovative methods in training curriculum. Mr. Sajjanhar has been an active participant in various International Seminars organized by UNCTAD and WTO. He has participated as Resource Person and Speaker at several Conferences on the Multilateral Trading System in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Papua New Guinea, Seoul, Geneva, etc. A keen proponent of Indian culture, he was the Director of Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre in Moscow where he was instrumental in ushering in a new paradigm in cultural diplomacy. Mr. Sajjanhar was the Deputy Chief of Mission as well as the Deputy Permanent Representative of India to UN-ESCAP during his assignment in Bangkok from 2000 to 2003. He was Deputy Chief of Mission in the Mission to European Union, Belgium and Luxemburg from 2005 to 2007 and Ambassador of India to Kazakhstan from 2007 to 2010. Mr. Sajjanhar is fluent in English, Hindi and Russian and has a working knowledge of French and Persian. His other interests include reading, music and Indian culture. His wife Mrs. Madhu Sajjanhar is an economist and educationist by training and is a keen painter. They have a son and a daughter, both of whom are keenly interested in and proficient in music. Disclaimer: External experts are not affiliated with Gateway House and have been presented here for reference only.