Ashok Malik
Ashok Malik is Press Secretary to the President of India. He is the first person from outside the civil services to be appointed to the post. He took charge on August 1, 2017, a week after President Ram Nath Kovind was sworn in as the 14th President of India.
Background
Prior to his current appointment, Malik was a senior Indian analyst and commentator, and distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, one of India's leading think-tanks. A frequent columnist, he wrote for a number of national and international publications. His areas of interest covered politics, India’s political economy and foreign policy.
Born in 1969, Malik studied at La Martiniere School, Calcutta (Kolkata), and graduated from Presidency College (now University) in the same city. He began his career in the Telegraph newspaper in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1991 and subsequently worked for many leading publications, including The Times of India, India Today and Indian Express.
In 2006, he embarked on a career as a self-employed columnist, serving at different points as a consulting editor to the Pioneer and Tehelka. In 2015 he joined the Observer Research Foundation. Other than writing in a variety of publications and appearing on news television shows, Malik was, till his appointment with the President's office, a regular participant in policy conferences and track II engagements. In 2016, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour.