39th Annual Meeting

P. Chidambaram
 

P. CHIDAMBARAM is finance minister of India and has been a governor of ADB since 2004. He was also finance minister in 1996–1998, minister of state in the Ministry of Commerce in 1995–1996 and 1991–1992, minister of state for internal security in 1986–1989, and minister of state in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in 1986–1989. In 1985, he was inducted into the Union Council of Ministers as a deputy minister in the Ministry of Commerce. He was first elected to the lower house ( Lok Sabha) of the Indian Parliament in the general election of 1984, and reelected until 2004. In 1969, he enrolled as an advocate in Madras High Court and established a successful law practice. He was designated senior advocate in 1984. He has chambers in Delhi and Madras and practices in the Supreme Court and in various high courts in India. He is a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and the Illiakkiya Chintanai (Literary Association) of Chennai, India. He obtained a bachelor of science at Presidency College, Chennai, India, and bachelor of law at the Law College, Madras University. Subsequently, he received a master of business administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School.