Rajiv Kumar appointed secretary general, FICCI

Industry body, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has appointed Rajiv Kumar as its secretary general. 

Kumar, a well-known economist and the author of several books, succeeds Amit Mitra in the role.

Mitra had recently resigned from the position to take over as the new finance minister of West Bengal in chief minister Mamta Banerjee. (See: Amit Mitra quits FICCI, tipped to become W Bengal finance minister)

''I see this as one of my most challenging assignments which will not only require my total commitment but will also serve as a substantial learning experience,'' said Kumar.

Kumar had joined FICCI as director general in October 2010. Prior to FICCI, he was the chief executive of the Indian Council for Research on International Relations (ICRIER) - an economic policy think tank.

Earlier, he was also chief economist for the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), a rival chamber of the FICCI.

Kumar has a DPhil. in economics from Oxford University and a PhD from the Lucknow University.