Dr. Mohan Kaul

Dr Kaul retired in April 2012 as the founding Director General and Chief Executive Officer and later Chairman of the Commonwealth Business Council which was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in Edinburgh in October 1997. During that period, Commonwealth trade increased to over $4 trillion dollars and investment flows reached over $200 billion with some countries receiving FDIs for the first time. He was responsible for establishing the Commonwealth Business Forum as a part of CHOGM since 1997.

Over the past 20 years, he has built an enviable rapport with Presidents and Heads of Governments across continents. He has organised over 50 high level Forums involving Heads of Governments, Ministers, Senior Officials, Chairpersons and Chief Executives. He has written several reports and papers on globalisation, South-South trade, corporate social responsibility and good governance. Dr Kaul has been a member of the Presidential Advisory Councils of Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia and similar councils in other countries and works closely with them. He has led several business delegations to India and various countries in Africa and Asia. To have a glimpse of his journey over last few years please visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwinv/

He is also a member of the Advisory Council of British Expertise and member of Board of Crown Agents Foundation. He is member of the Governing Council of the Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre set up by the Government of India. He is Chairman of India based micro-finance Commonwealth Inclusive Growth Services. 

He has held other positions including being a Member of the Board of Directors and the Chair of Governance Committee of ICICI Bank (UK) and a member of the Board of Baobab Resources PLC. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the UK-India Business Council, Central Council of the Royal Over-Seas League and the Board of the World Bank’s African Virtual University. Dr Kaul is a Liveryman of the City of London. 

Dr Kaul also worked with the United Nations as Public Sector Advisor for four years and later served as Senior Director at the Commonwealth Secretariat for several years. He has led international and advisory and consultancy assignments in over 40 countries in the areas of investment promotion, free trade and fair trade, private sector development and public sector reforms. He advised the South African Government of President Nelson Mandela in public service reforms, capacity building and human resource development. He conducted several Workshops involving Cabinet Ministers and senior officials to facilitate the working of the new South African Government. He also worked with Malaysian government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on public service reform, human resources development and institution building. 

Nominated by the British Government, he was a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Management Efficiency Group to implement Management Reforms in the United Nations. He was leader of a delegation to China for discussions with President Hu Jintao on governance and globalisation. He conducted the first evaluation for IFAD/World Bank of Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus’s world famous Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. He has also addressed a special session of the UN Assembly on public management.

Dr Kaul was a professor for several years and later Dean at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. He was also a member on a number of boards and consultant to many leading public and private sector firms including Shipping Corporation of India, L&T, DCM & Electronic Corporation of India, Dredging Corporation of India and LD Engineering College.  He has also been an Advisor to the various Departments of the Government of India and Government of Gujarat, including the Planning Commission, Electronics Commission and Department of Foreign Trade.

Dr Kaul has a PhD in Management Science from the University of Paris – Sorbonne.  He is the author of a number of publications. He was also conferred the Honorary Doctorate of Letters by Cape Breton University Canada in November 2007.  Dr Kaul is a Chartered Fellow of the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, Fellow of International Institute of Training & Development, USA and Fellow of Computer Society of India.  He was also President of the International Association of Schools and Institutions of Administration.