Amitav Banerji spent 25 years as a Commonwealth civil servant, from 1990 to 2015. Among the positions he occupied at the Commonwealth Secretariat were those of Director and Head of the Secretary-General’s Office from 2000 to 2008 (during the term of Sir Don McKinnon) and thereafter as Political Director from 2009 to 2015.
Prior to joining the Commonwealth Secretariat, Amitav was a career diplomat for India. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1975 and served at Indian diplomatic missions in Spain, Pakistan and Malaysia, as well as the Indian Mission to the United Nations in New York. Among his postings at headquarters, he was Private Secretary to the Minister of External Affairs from 1979 to 1982.
Amitav is currently Projects Director for the Global Leadership Foundation, a group of 45 retired leaders from around the world who are available to provide discreet advice to current national leaders on request.
Amitav Banerji holds a Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in Washington DC and a Masters from the Delhi School of Economics. He speaks six languages.
