Who is Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir? Indian-origin diplomat nominated as US ambassador to Indonesia
Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir
Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, an Indian-origin diplomat, has been appointed as United States ambassador to Indonesia by President Joe Biden.
In an official statement, the White House informed that Lakhdhir has three decades of service within the State Department. She holds the position of a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, and was most recently Executive Secretary of the Department of State.
Her father, Noor, immigrated to the US from Mumbai to the University of California, Berkley, in the 1940s to pursue his education.
Lakhdhir was born in New York and grew up in New York and Westport, Connecticut, where she was a regular participant in the annual United Nations Day. She was inspired to pursue an international career because of her parents, she said in an interview published in the National Museum of American Diplomacy.
A Harvard graduate and an MS from the National War College, Lakhdhir started her career in the Foreign Service in August 1991 and became recognised as a Southeast Asia expert.
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Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir's career
Lakhdhir had formerly served as an ambassador to Malaysia from 2017 to 2021.
Lakhdhir has been engaged in improving communications with Malaysians through a wider range of media, facilitating ongoing collaboration between American businesses operating in Malaysia and the local workforce, and promoting joint initiatives like research on renewable energy for the country.
Her other overseas assignments included China, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, the White House stated.
She has served as Director of the Office of Maritime Southeast Asian Affairs, which includes responsibility for US relations with Indonesia.
Early in her career, she served as the Deputy Coordinator of the Taiwan Coordination Staff in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
After graduating from Harvard, Lakhdhir stayed in China for two years, teaching English and American history. After returning to the US, she worked for the New York City budget director and pursued graduate studies in public finance at New York University.
(With inputs from agencies)
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