About the Speaker

Ambassador DB Venkatesh Varma was a member of the Indian Foreign Service from 1988 to 2021. During his diplomatic career, he has worked in the Ministry of External Affairs, in the Office of External Affairs Minister and in the Prime Minister’s Office. He served as India’s Ambassador to Conference on
Disarmament in Geneva, to the Kingdom of Spain and to the Russian Federation, until October 2021.
He has vast experience in India’s Security and Defence policies, including its nuclear, missile, and space programs, having served three postings in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. He also served as Joint Secretary in charge of Disarmament and International Security in the Ministry of External
Affairs between 2010-2013.

He was a key member of the Indian negotiating team involved in the Civil Nuclear Initiative with the USA during his tenure as Director in the Prime Minister’s Office during 2004-2007. He has vast experience with respect to India’s Civil Nuclear Programme. Amb Varma was key member of India’s
delegation to the Nuclear Security Summits during 2010-2013. With three separate postings in Moscow, spanning three decades, he has vast experience in India’s defence and strategic relations with Russia. As
Ambassador, he was closely involved with developing India’s relations with Russia including Prime Minister Modi’s Act Far East Initiative, deepening of India’s Defence, Nuclear, Space, Energy, Commercial, Science & Technology and Cultural relations with Russia. He has spoken at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum and the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

He has an M.Phil in International Relations (Disarmament Studies) from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. A Distinguished Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation, he has spoken at numerous think-tanks in India and abroad. He was the first Recipient of the S.K.Singh Award for Excellence in the Indian Foreign Service in 2011 for his contribution to the negotiations of the Civil
Nuclear Initiative.