Dr. T.V. Somanathan has officially taken over as the new Cabinet Secretary for the Government of India, following Rajiv Gauba’s retirement. An IAS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre (1987 batch), Dr. Somanathan holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Calcutta University and qualifications as a Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant, and Company Secretary. He is also an alumnus of the Executive Development Program at Harvard Business School.
With an extensive career in public service, Dr Somanathan has previously served as Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office and held prominent roles in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. He also served as Director of Corporate Affairs at the World Bank in Washington DC. Before his current appointment, he was the Finance Secretary and Secretary of the Department of Expenditure.
In Tamil Nadu, Dr. Somanathan held key positions such as Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., Secretary to the Chief Minister, and Additional Chief Secretary & Commissioner of Commercial Taxes during the rollout of GST. He also played a pivotal role as the founding Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Corporation Limited.
Dr. Somanathan’s career with the World Bank began in 1996 as a Financial Economist through the Young Professionals Program. He later became one of the youngest Sector Managers and served as Director from 2011 to 2015. He is also an accomplished author and has published over 80 papers and articles on economics, finance, and public policy.
