Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia

Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Trustee and Member, Investment Committee

 Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia is a distinguished Indian economist whose career has spanned national policy formulation, international development institutions, and economic governance. He served as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India from July 2004 to May 2014, a Cabinet-rank position in which he oversaw the formulation and execution of the Eleventh and Twelfth Five-Year Plans, emphasising faster, more inclusive and sustainable growth.

He joined the World Bank in 1968, becoming the youngest Division Chief in charge of the Income Distribution Division, before returning to India in 1979 to serve in senior economic roles in government. In the Government of India, he served as Economic Adviser in the Finance Ministry, Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Commerce Secretary, Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, and Finance Secretary, and was a member of both the Planning Commission and the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.

Internationally, he was the first Director of the Independent Evaluation Office at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2001 to 2004, supervising evaluations critical to institutional performance.

For his long and influential contributions to economic policy and public service, Ahluwalia was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2011, India’s second highest civilian honour.

He is a prolific writer on development, growth and policy reform, and his 2020 book, Backstage: The Story Behind India’s High Growth Years, reflects on economic transformation and governance. Currently, he continues to engage as a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), a member of global advisory bodies, and an honorary fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford.