Tuhin Kanta Pandey appointed as new Sebi Chairman, succeeding Madhabi Puri Buch

Tuhin Kanta Pandey, the finance secretary, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a three-year term. His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. He takes over from Madhabi Puri Buch, whose term as SEBI’s first woman chairperson ended on February 28, 2025.

Pandey’s career and key roles

Pandey is a 1987 batch IAS officer from the Odisha cadre. He studied Economics at Punjab University and later earned an MBA from the UK. Throughout his career, he has held important positions in both the Odisha government and the central government.

He started his career as the managing director of Odisha State Finance Corporation and Odisha Small Industries Corporation. Later, he served as the collector of Sambalpur district and as deputy secretary in the Department of Commerce. He also worked at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

After returning to Odisha, he took on key roles such as transport commissioner, health secretary, and commissioner of commercial taxes. He later served as a joint secretary in the Planning Commission for five years and then as a joint secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat for two years.

From 2016, he served as the principal secretary of the finance department in Odisha. He became the longest-serving secretary in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), where he oversaw government equity in public sector enterprises.

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In January 2025, he took charge of the revenue department and played a crucial role in preparing the 2025-26 Budget, which provided ₹1 lakh crore in tax relief for the middle class. He was also involved in drafting a new Income Tax Bill to replace the 1961 Income Tax Act.

During his tenure at DIPAM from 2019 to 2025, he led the disinvestment of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) and implemented policies to reduce government control in public sector enterprises. He also played a key role in the privatisation of Air India, which was taken over by the Tata Group in January 2022. Additionally, he supervised the privatisation process of IDBI Bank, which is still ongoing.