Renowned economist and former Vice-Chairman of the NITI Aayog Dr Rajiv Kumar will join the policy and advisory board of the leading luxury property consultant firm India Sotheby’s International Realty (ISIR), the company announced. Dr Kumar will advise ISIR on policy and advocacy matters with the objective of promoting transparency and professionalism in the real estate sector.
Having wide experience working in government, academia, industry associations like the CII and FICCI and multilateral financial institutions (ADB, Manila), Dr Kumar will also be guiding India Sotheby’s International Realty on the next phase of growth in the region including evaluation of new opportunities in the sector, said Amit Goyal, CEO, India Sotheby’s International Realty.
Alumni of St Stephen College and Lucknow University, Dr Kumar has received D.Litt degrees (honoris causa) from his alma mater, Lucknow University, and other institutions of higher learning. He has a D.Phil. in Economics from Oxford University (1982) and a Ph.D. from Lucknow University, India (1978).
"We are delighted to have Dr Rajiv Kumar on ISIR’s Advisory Board. He is one of the most seasoned economists in the country with wide experience ranging from industry policy-making at the highest levels of the government. We are sure that with Dr. Kumar on our Board, ISIR will achieve new heights," said Amit Goyal.
ISIR has been driving policy changes on several matters like the need for circle rate recalibration, RERA changes to protect home buyers, and the merits of rationalising stamp duties on real estate transactions.
Dr. Rajiv Kumar added: "India Sotheby’s International Realty is a premier organisation in the real estate advisory and transaction segment. We all know that the realty sector is a major driver of economic growth in the country. Transparency and professionalism are key to the healthy growth of the real estate sector and these are also the core values at ISIR. Therefore, I am delighted to join the advisory board of such a promising organisation which has over the years carved out a leadership role in luxury real estate.”
Dr Kumar is also the Founding Director and current Chairman of the Pahle India Foundation (PIF) Delhi, which is a non-profit making policy think tank; and Chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Economics and Politics, Pune.
In the past, he has served as a Government of India nominee on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Board of the State Bank of India, Mumbai. He was also a part-time Member of the National Security Advisory Board (2006-2008); and a Part-time member, of Economics, Telecom Regulatory Authority India (TRAI), New Delhi (2007-2010).
He was also Economic Advisor, at the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance (1992 to 1995); he served in the Asian Development Bank, Manila for ten years (1995-2004).
