Chandru Iyer

I am an accomplished British Diplomat and International Business Development professional with over 26 years of experience in fostering global trade and investment. I have deep expertise in building and strengthening bilateral economic relations, with a distinguished track record of delivering sustained trade and inward investment successes between India and the United Kingdom for over 18 years, alongside earlier achievements spanning Scandinavia, Australia, and North America. 

I bring a strong understanding of public-private partnerships and the broader economic development ecosystem, enabling effective promotion of cross-border commercial collaboration. I hold an Engineering degree and an MBA, combining technical insight with commercial acumen to deliver innovative, strategic solutions and operate as a trusted advisor to stakeholders. A highly effective networker, adept at building rapport with global CEOs, CXOs, entrepreneurs, and senior decisionmakers, I am also recognised as an articulate communicator and persuasive presenter, with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence, engage, and build lasting relationships at all levels. 

Previously, I represented His Majesty's Government in India as the British Deputy High Commissioner with consular responsibility for Karnataka, along with a broader responsibility for managing UK's relationship with the wider South India region. In this role, over the last 4 years, I worked towards further strengthening UK’s engagement with Karnataka through increased Trade & Investment wins, new academic links and almost 5 times increase in flight connections between Bangalore and London. Alongside, I was also the Deputy Trade Commissioner for South Asia, responsible for further bolstering Investment flows from India and the broader South Asia region to the United Kingdom, successfully helping maintain India’s position as the second largest investor in the UK, with over £5bn new investments and 30,000+ new jobs.

I am married and my son is a recent Oxford Law graduate, and we like to cook, travel, do gardening and watch Cricket together as a family.