STRAIGHTTALK
23-Jul-2020
Arun M. Kumar, Chairman and CEO, KPMG in India is an accomplished global executive with experience spanning multiple sectors from high technology to Government and many geographies from Silicon Valley to India.
Most recently, Arun served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service in the Obama Administration. He led the trade and investment promotion efforts for the U.S. Government and served as the International Trade Administration’s lead official advocating for better market access for U.S. exporters. He traveled to over thirty countries around the world, engaging with senior Government and business leaders.
Before his tenure in public service, Arun was a Partner and member of the Board of Directors at KPMG, LLP. He led the firm’s West Coast Management Consulting practice serving major global clients as well as emerging Silicon Valley ventures while creating thought leadership to advance business practices in financial management. He also founded and led KPMG’s US-India practice.
Previously, Arun was a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, founding CEO and CFO of three technology ventures. Over the years, he has been a mentor and advisor to a number of new ventures in Silicon Valley and India.
Arun is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, New York. He chairs the India Advisory Council of the US India Business Council. He has formerly been a member of advisory councils at Stanford University and the University of California, Santa Cruz. An early Charter Member of TiE Silicon Valley, he also served on its Board.
Arun has authored a book of poetry, Plain Truths (2010), and co-edited a book, Kerala’s Economy: Crouching Tiger, Sacred Cows (2007).
Arun received his Master’s degree in Management from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Kerala, India. He started his career in India as a member of TAS, the central management cadre of the Tata Group.