Sanjay Kaul has formally taken charge as Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of GIFT City, India’s first operational smart city and International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), located in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He succeeds retired IAS officer Tapan Ray, who led GIFT City since 2019 and held additional charge until Kaul assumed office.
A 2001?batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre and a native of Vadodara, Kaul brings over two decades of experience in public policy, infrastructure, finance and technology. Prior to this role, he served as Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Culture handling portfolios such as UNESCO, intangible heritage, libraries and cultural institutions. He also previously held leadership roles in Gujarat, including as Managing Director of Gujarat Informatics Ltd and Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd between 2011 and 2016.
In a statement, Kaul emphasized his commitment to building on GIFT City’s existing strong foundation, driving strategic initiatives and forging global partnerships to position it as a world?class financial and technology hub.
GIFT City, envisioned as a greenfield smart city and financial centre, offers infrastructure and policy incentives to attract global and domestic firms in sectors including banking, fintech, IT services and international education. Under Kaul’s leadership, stakeholders anticipate accelerated development and heightened global visibility for the project.
