Shyam Saran is a career diplomat born on September 4, 1946.  Since joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1970, he has served in several capitals of the world including Beijing, Tokyo and Geneva.  He has been India’s Ambassador to Myanmar, Indonesia and Nepal and High Commissioner to Mauritius. In the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, Shyam Saran headed the Economic Division and the Multilateral Economic Division and also headed the East Asia Division which handles relations with China and Japan.  As a Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office in 1991/92, he advised the Prime Minister on foreign policy, nuclear and defence related issues. After a career spanning 34 years in the Indian Foreign Service, Saran was appointed India’s Foreign Secretary in 2004 and held that position till his retirement from service in September 2006. Subsequent to his retirement, he was appointed Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Indo-US civil nuclear issues and later as Special Envoy and Chief Negotiator on Climate Change.  He has now concluded his assignment in Government and returned to being a private citizen. During his last two assignments, Shyam Saran served as Prime Minister’s personal representative or “Sherpa” at the Gleneagles and St. Petersburg G8+G5 summits and was present at the Toyako and and L’Aquila Summits as an advisor on Climate Change issues. He also attended the Pittsburg G-20 summit as a member of the Indian delegation. Currently, Shyam Saran is member of the National Security Advisory Board under the National Security Council. He was recently appointed Chairman, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, which is an autonomous think tank specializing in studies on economic and trade related issues.He is also Senior Fellow with the Centre for Policy Research,a prestigious think tank which covers a wide range of political, social and economic issues, including foreign policy related issues.He speaks and writes regularly on a variety of  subjects. On January 26, 2011, Shyam Saran was awarded the Padma Bhushan,  the third highest national award in the country, by the President of India for his contribution to Civil Service. Saran holds a post-Graduate degree in Economics.  He speaks Hindi, English and Chinese and is conversant in French. Disclaimer: External experts are not affiliated with Gateway House and have been presented here for reference only.