Ms. Sripriya Ranganathan assumed charge as Secretary (CPV & OIA) in the Ministry of External Affairs on January 5, 2026.
A career diplomat from the 1994 batch of the Indian Foreign Service, Ambassador Ranganathan has served in a wide range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral assignments, garnering rich experience in handling India’s relations with neighboring countries. These assignments have given her a breadth of experience across the political, strategic, and commercial domains.
Her assignments at Headquarters have included heading the SAARC Division, the Bangladesh and Myanmar Division, and the Policy Planning Division. She has also served in the Disarmament and International Security Affairs Division, the Administration Division, and the Europe West Division. In addition, she was seconded to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, where she worked in the Export Promotion (Agricultural Products) Division and the Trade Policy Division, contributing to India’s negotiations on trade in Services at the WTO
Following her early assignments abroad in Ankara, Hong Kong and Yangon, she served as Ambassador of India to the Republic of Korea from August 2018 to 2022, and thereafter as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Washington, DC, where she also served as Chargé d’Affaires for six months. Upon her return to Headquarters in March 2025, Ambassador Ranganathan served as Additional Secretary (Administration).
Ambassador Ranganathan obtained her Master’s degree in History from the University of Delhi. She speaks Tamil, Hindi, and English, and has a working knowledge of Turkish. She has a keen interest in promoting women’s leadership and empowerment.
Ambassador Ranganathan is married to Mukund Santhanam, a financial services professional, and has one daughter. She enjoys reading, hiking, yoga, and walking her dog.