New Delhi: Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, a 1992 batch of the Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS), has assumed office as the new Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA).
This premier think tank operates under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India.
Mr Singh’s appointment, announced on Wednesday, marks a new chapter in his long and illustrious career, spanning over three decades in public service.
With expertise in diverse areas such as finance, corporate law, insolvency, corporate social responsibility (CSR), ESG reporting, public policy, e-governance, and capacity building, Singh brings a wealth of experience to IICA. His leadership is expected to invigorate the institute’s mission of fostering high standards of corporate governance, policy research, and capacity building for India’s corporate sector.
Mr Singh, a distinguished civil servant, has held several important roles in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, including Joint Secretary, CEO of the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA), and Member of the Governing Body of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). He also previously served as Director General and CEO of IICA from 2017 to 2018, where he was instrumental in transforming the institute into a financially self-sustaining entity.
Between 2018 and 2021, Singh served as Member Secretary of the Insolvency Law Committee (ILC), playing a pivotal role in shaping the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and its landmark amendments, particularly the Pre-Packaged Insolvency Resolution. His contributions were vital in strengthening key regulatory bodies, including NCLT, NCLAT, IEPFA, and IBBI.
An authority on CSR, Singh was behind the launch of the National CSR Awards Scheme and played a critical role in revising the CSR Rules in 2014, enhancing transparency and simplifying compliance. He also chaired the High-Level Committee on CSR, which delivered its significant report in 2019, influencing CSR policy in India.
In the domain of sustainability, Singh led the Committee on Business Responsibility Reporting (BRR), whose 2020 report laid the foundation for the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) mandate on Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) for India’s top 1000 listed companies.
Mr Singh’s academic credentials are equally impressive. He holds an MA and M.Phil. in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, an MBA in Finance from the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) Delhi, and an LLB and BA (Hons) in History from Delhi University. Additionally, he has international experience as a Capacity Development Advisor with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan.
His appointment to lead IICA is expected to further strengthen the institute’s role in shaping the discourse on corporate governance and policies in India.
