Senior diplomat Reenat Sandhu is all set to take over as the Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
The official order pertaining to her appointment was issued by the Personnel Ministry on Wednesday. The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet approved her new appointment, the order said.
A 1989-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Sandhu, is presently posted as Officer on Special Duty (IP, South and Oceania) in MEA.
Sandhu will take over charge from from Vikas Swarup, who superannuates on June 30, 2021.
Sandhu deftly handled the COVID-19 pandemic getting Indians evacuated from
Italy. The soft spoken diplomat is known for her unique style of diplomacy and is a specialist in economic diplomacy.
She is known in the corridors of power for her affable but firm diplomatic style and also served in several key diplomatic assignments in the past.
She has also served as the Indian Ambassador in Rome and was widely respected by the Mission staff as well.
She is married to another distinguished diplomat Taranjit Sandhu who is currently India’s Ambassador to the US.