New Delhi: Britain on Thursday appointed Indian-origin economist Kumar Iyer as the Director General for UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) for India, a new top-level post created to reflect the increasing importance of bilateral business ties. Iyer will also be British deputy high commissioner for western India. He will take up both positions, based in Mumbai, August 5.

"I am very excited at the prospect of living and working in India, it's a country of boundless energy, talent and potential. Having lived and studied in India whilst growing up, I am equally keen to play my part in promoting the academic, cultural and social links between our two countries," Iyer said, looking forward to his posting.

As Director General India of UKTI, Iyer will have the overall responsibility for the UK-India commercial and trade relationship across the country. He comes to India from London where he has been a high-ranking official at the British Treasury and the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit.

Iyer has an MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University where he was a Bank of England scholar and an undergraduate tutor in Microeconomics. He was also a Kennedy Scholar and Teaching Fellow in International Capital Markets at Harvard University. Since 2008, Iyer has been a high-ranking official at the British Treasury and the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit.

Iyer was born in London to parents of Indian origin and spent his formative childhood years in India. He joined the British government in 2008 as Deputy Director, Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. In 2010, he moved to the Treasury, first as Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning & Budget, and then as Head of Financial Sector Interventions. Prior to that, he was at the Boston Consulting Group where he worked mainly in the Financial Services Practice but also for large multinational media and retail clients.

Iyer is a keen cricketer and chess player. He is married to Kathryn, a barrister practising criminal law. They have two children, a son and a daughter.