Suresh Kumar
Encyclopedia
Suresh Kumar was appointed the Assistant Commerce Secretary for Trade Promotion and Director-General of the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service by President Barack Obama
on February 12, 2010.
, India
. His father was an Army Officer and his mother a musician. He spent the early part childhood in Delhi
, where he attended Delhi’s St. Columba's School
. He obtained a bachelors degree in Economics from Delhi University, an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies
, and is an alumnus of the Thunderbird International Consortium Program. Between 1970 and 1985 Kumar was news and sports anchor on national television in India.
Currently, Kumar and his wife split their time between their residences in Princeton, NJ
and Washington, DC. In addition to living in the United States
, they have lived in India
, Indonesia
, Greece
, Singapore
and Canada
and speak 6 languages. They have two adult children. Their daughter, Pooja Kumar, is an alumnus of Duke University
and Harvard Medical School
. She is a Rhodes Scholar and is currently working as a management consultant. Their son, Aditya Kumar, graduated from Georgetown University
and holds a M.B.A. from Stanford University
. Currently, he serves at the White House
as the Deputy Assistant to the Vice President and Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff.
Most recently Kumar was President & Managing Partner of KaiZen Innovation, a management consulting firm, which he founded in 2004, that develops global commerce by establishing public-private collaborations that spur development, helping businesses extend their global footprint, and installing global marketing processes and programs. At KaiZen, Kumar consulted on projects for leading institutions and corporations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
, the African Development Bank
and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
(AGRA). During his time as the Special Advisor to the Clinton Foundation
, Kumar worked with Governments in Sub Saharan Africa and corporate CEOs to establish collaborative business models and execute farmer and market friendly programs to promote food security
and stimulate economic development
in the region.
Kumar is published on issues related to global management and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Schulich School of Business
at Toronto
’s York University
and Bombay University in India and was appointed Professor of International Business at Rutgers University
EMBA program.
Kumar has also served on the Board and councils of several organizations, including World Self-Medication Industry (WSMI), the American Management Association
(AMA), the Association of National Advertisers
(ANA), Consumer Healthcare Products Association
(CHPA) and the Thunderbird School of Global Management
. In 2004, Kumar was named Distinguished Executive-in-Residence by Thunderbird School of Global Management for his contributions to global trade.
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
on February 12, 2010.
Early life and Education
Suresh Kumar was born in SecunderabadSecunderabad
Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. His father was an Army Officer and his mother a musician. He spent the early part childhood in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, where he attended Delhi’s St. Columba's School
St. Columba's School
St. Columba's School, Delhi, India, was established in 1942, and is one of twelve English Medium schools of its kind conducted by the Indian Province of the Congregation of Christian Brothers which was founded by Blessed Edmund Rice, a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. It follows the...
. He obtained a bachelors degree in Economics from Delhi University, an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies is the Department of Management Studies of the University of Mumbai and is the third oldest business school in India...
, and is an alumnus of the Thunderbird International Consortium Program. Between 1970 and 1985 Kumar was news and sports anchor on national television in India.
Currently, Kumar and his wife split their time between their residences in Princeton, NJ
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
and Washington, DC. In addition to living in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, they have lived in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and speak 6 languages. They have two adult children. Their daughter, Pooja Kumar, is an alumnus of Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
and Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. She is a Rhodes Scholar and is currently working as a management consultant. Their son, Aditya Kumar, graduated from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and holds a M.B.A. from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Currently, he serves at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
as the Deputy Assistant to the Vice President and Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff.
Career
Kumar has spent over thirty years as an international businessman, consultant, and professor of management educations. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Kumar led global businesses of major US corporations and been responsible for business units across all continents.Most recently Kumar was President & Managing Partner of KaiZen Innovation, a management consulting firm, which he founded in 2004, that develops global commerce by establishing public-private collaborations that spur development, helping businesses extend their global footprint, and installing global marketing processes and programs. At KaiZen, Kumar consulted on projects for leading institutions and corporations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
, the African Development Bank
African Development Bank
The African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...
and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa , is an organization which works for the benefit of African sub-continent. Broadly it deals in improving the agricultural products, supporting the local farm owners and labor....
(AGRA). During his time as the Special Advisor to the Clinton Foundation
Clinton Foundation
The William J. Clinton Foundation is a foundation established by former President of the United States Bill Clinton with the stated mission to "strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence." The Foundation focuses on four critical areas:...
, Kumar worked with Governments in Sub Saharan Africa and corporate CEOs to establish collaborative business models and execute farmer and market friendly programs to promote food security
Food security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
and stimulate economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
in the region.
Kumar is published on issues related to global management and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Schulich School of Business
Schulich School of Business
The Schulich School of Business is York University's business school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is an internationally-ranked business school. Schulich offers undergraduate and graduate programs in business administration, finance, public administration and international business as...
at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
’s York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
and Bombay University in India and was appointed Professor of International Business at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
EMBA program.
Kumar has also served on the Board and councils of several organizations, including World Self-Medication Industry (WSMI), the American Management Association
American Management Association
The American Management Association , based in New York City, is a corporate training and consulting group that provides a variety of educational and management development services to businesses, government agencies and individuals. The non-profit membership organization offers business courses in...
(AMA), the Association of National Advertisers
Association of National Advertisers
The Association of National Advertisers is a representative body for the marketing community in the United States of America. ANA’s membership includes over 400 companies with 9,000 brands that collectively spend over one hundred billion dollars in marketing communications and advertising....
(ANA), Consumer Healthcare Products Association
Consumer Healthcare Products Association
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association is an American trade association consisting of manufacturers and distributors of over-the-counter drugs and nutritional supplements.-Membership:...
(CHPA) and the Thunderbird School of Global Management
Thunderbird School of Global Management
Thunderbird School of Global Management is a private business school whose main campus is located in Glendale, Arizona. Founded in 1946 by retired U.S...
. In 2004, Kumar was named Distinguished Executive-in-Residence by Thunderbird School of Global Management for his contributions to global trade.