Obama names Indian-American to key trade job

US President Barack Obama has named yet another Indian American, Kerala University physics graduate Arun M. Kumar, to lead the trade promotion arm of the US Commerce Department charged with helping US companies succeed in markets around the world.

Kumar, who has been nominated Assistant Secretary and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce, would on Senate confirmation succeed another Indian American, Secunderabad-born Suresh Kumar.

Nominating Kumar with four other individuals to key administration posts, Obama said: "The extraordinary dedication these men and women bring to their new roles will greatly serve the American people.

"I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this administration and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come."

According to the White House, Kumar who received a BSc in Physics from the University of Kerala, India, went on to get an S.M. in Management from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Kumar was a partner and member of the Board of Directors at KPMG LLP. From 2005 until his retirement in September 2013, Kumar led the firm's West Coast Finance Management Consulting practice.

He also led the firm's US-India practice from 2007 to 2013. Kumar joined KPMG in 1995 as a Finance Management Leader. From 1993 to 1995, Kumar was the founder and CEO of Planning & Logic, Inc, a software company.

Prior to that, he was co-founder and CFO of Netlabs, Inc from 1991 to 1993; the CFO of Elite Microelectronics, Inc from 1990 to 1991; and the Director of Planning & Management Information at Silicon Graphics, Inc from 1989 to 1990.

From 1980 to 1984, he was the controller of Elxsi Inc and from 1984 to 1988 co-founder, CFO, and Vice President of Operations for Cydrome, Inc, a minisupercomputer company.

At over two dozen, Obama administration boasts of having the highest number of Indian Americans in key jobs than any previous administrations in US.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)