NCAER appoints former NHIT chief Suresh Goyal as director general

Economic policy think tank NCAER has named Suresh Goyal as its next Director General from January 2026, tasking him with expanding research capacity and setting up new centres across key policy areas

The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on Monday announced the appointment of Suresh Goyal as its next Director General, with effect from January 5, 2026.

 

Goyal will succeed Poonam Gupta, who headed the economic policy think tank from July 2021 to April 2025.

 

NCAER said Goyal has been mandated by its governing board to strengthen the organisation’s capabilities and support the creation of new research centres in areas including states’ growth, health economics, macroeconomics, finance and data insights.

 

It added that Goyal has over three decades of experience across the public and private sectors. He has previously served as managing director and chief executive officer of the National Highway Infra Trust (NHIT), which was set up by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to support the National Monetisation Pipeline.

 

“We are delighted to welcome Suresh Goyal as the new Director General of NCAER. His leadership comes at a pivotal moment for NCAER as we pursue the aggressive goals of expanding our endowment, creating multiple research centres, and working closely with the central and state governments, thus amplifying our role in shaping India’s growth and development agenda," said Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the NCAER's governing board.

 

Goyal has also worked in the private sector, most recently as senior MD and Head of India and South East Asia at Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, based in Singapore, NCAER said.

 

On his appointment, Goyal said, "I look forward to working closely with NCAER’s leaders and dedicated staff as we pivot the organisation towards new directions while leveraging the core that has been built over decades. Together, we will enable NCAER to help the country become Viksit Bharat".

 

NCAER currently works across multiple research areas, including macroeconomics, human development, agriculture, trade, technology, gender and policy modelling. According to its statement, it has also collaborated with more than 12 central government ministries, three state governments and 13 other organisations.