Biographical Note

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS VIJAY NAMBIAR OF INDIA CHEF DE CABINET

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on 1 January the appointment of Vijay Nambiar of India as his Chef de Cabinet.  Mr. Nambiar had been serving as Special Adviser to Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the rank of Under-Secretary-General.

Mr. Nambiar previously served as Deputy National Security Adviser to the Government of India and Head of the National Security Council Secretariat.  He previously served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York (May 2002-June 2004).  Earlier as Ambassador of India, he served successively in Pakistan (2000-2001), China (1996-2000), Malaysia (1993-1996) and Afghanistan (1990-1992).  He was earlier Ambassador of India in Algeria (1985-1988).

During the course of his professional career in the Indian Foreign Service, he had served in numerous bilateral and multilateral appointments in Beijing, Belgrade and New York during the 1970s and 1980s.  He was Joint Secretary (Director-General) handling East Asia in 1988 during the period of the historic visit of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to China.  He also dealt with multilateral affairs at the headquarters in New Delhi during the early 1980s.  He was involved at the delegation level in numerous United Nations and non-aligned summit and ministerial conferences since 1979.

Mr. Nambiar joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1967 and spent his early years in the diplomatic service specializing in the Chinese language serving in Hong Kong and Beijing.  He also served during the mid-1970s in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

Mr. Nambiar was born in Poona, India, in August 1943.  He holds a post-graduate degree in political science from Bombay University and was awarded the Chancellor’s Gold Medal of the University in 1965.

He is married and has two daughters.

* *** *

*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/985-BIO/3746 dated 3 March 2006.

For information media • not an official record