Sanjay Kaul
Independent Director
A development policy analyst, author, and former IAS officer, Sanjay Kaul has over four decades of rich and professional experience in both the government and the private sectors. During his long tenure as a civil servant, Kaul worked at senior positions across several development sectors. Kaul worked in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) for 28 years (1979-2007) before taking up a leadership position as MD & CEO of National Commodity Management Services Limited (NCML) (2008-19) and later as company Chairman (2019-21). Under Kaul’s stewardship, NCML, a part of the Canada-based Fairfax group, grew ten-fold to becoming a leading agri-business company.
In recent years Kaul’s interest has shifted to policy advocacy in public health, school education, food and nutrition, livelihoods, urban planning and housing. Kaul continues to support to several not for profit organizations and also supports government public policy initiatives as part of committees and advisory groups.
Kaul is chairperson of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Task Force set up by the Government of India. He is also a member of the Karnataka Government’s Education Commission. Kaul is also an Independent Director at SEWA GRIH RIN Ltd. (SGRL), an affordable housing finance company as well as an Independent Director at DIGIGRAIN SOLUTIONS an agri-business entity. Kaul serves as a Trustee of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) Trust in India and a Trustee of the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT). He also serves on the Managing Committee of several DPS schools. Kaul works actively with Mobile Creches, a leading child-rights NGO, on which he has served as its Chairperson (2014-17) and continues on its Governing Council and presently serves as its Treasurer.
During Kaul’s long tenure in the IAS, he led challenging assignments across development and social sectors, including working in the Prime Minister’s Office and serving in various capacities in the Karnataka Government including Chairman Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Commissioner (Health), and Secretary (School Education). Kaul’s last assignment with the government was as Joint Secretary, Government of India, where he headed the Food Policy and FCI division.
A post-graduate in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, Kaul began his career as a college lecturer in Economics (1976-78) at the University of Delhi and has retained his interest in academics and writing. His book, “An Alternative Development Agenda for India”, has recently been by published by Routledge, the reputed UK publishing house. Kaul is a columnist in leading print and online publications on public policy issues.
