Ambassador Taranjit S. Sandhu joined The Asia Group as a Senior Advisor in March 2025. In this capacity he works closely with the TAG South Asia Practice to assess and analyze India’s political and economic landscape, as well as trends in the defense, trade, technology, and energy sectors. With over 35 years in the Indian Foreign Service, including serving as India’s Ambassador to the United States, he brings a wealth of diplomatic expertise and insight into U.S.-India relations and India’s broader foreign policy imperatives across the Indo-Pacific.
Before joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Sandhu served as India’s Ambassador to the United States from 2020 to 2024, with his tenure spanning both the Trump and Biden presidencies. He is widely recognized for his role in deepening U.S.-India ties through a time of great global uncertainty and spearheaded Prime Minister Modi’s first state visit to the United States in June 2023. His leadership was vital in coordinating high-level diplomatic negotiations, economic dialogues, and crisis management efforts, including securing U.S. assistance for India’s pandemic response. His tenure also witnessed the launch of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), the deal envisaging co-production in defense including GE jet engines, pathbreaking investments in India by US companies in the IT, semiconductor, energy, healthcare, and knowledge sectors, record levels of bilateral trade, and the strengthening of the Quad.
Previously, Ambassador Sandhu was High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka (2017-2020), where he prioritized efforts to strengthen India-Sri Lanka strategic ties. As Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Washington, D.C. (2013-2017), Ambassador Sandhu laid the groundwork for Prime Minister Modi’s historic 2014 visit to the United States and worked closely with then- Indian Ambassador S. Jaishankar in navigating flashpoints in U.S.-India relations. He also served as Consul General in Frankfurt, as well as advancing political work in India’s missions in the United States, Sri Lanka, Germany, former Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations.
Ambassador Sandhu’s diplomatic career spans four decades, with several postings in Washington, D.C. under India’s Ministry of External Affairs— including as Joint Secretary in the United Nations and Joint Secretary in the Administration heading the Human Resource Division, as well as Officer on Special Duty in Press Relations. Ambassador Sandhu’s experience and bipartisan network in Washington, D.C. has proven to be invaluable as he has worked to advance U.S.-India diplomatic relations, engage with industry, and strengthen India’s relationships with U.S. interlocutors. Ambassador Sandhu also had a foray into politics in 2024, when he ran for a seat in India’s lower house of Parliament.
Born in a family of educationists, Ambassador Sandhu holds a B.A. from St. Stephen’s College and an M.A. in international relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. He and his wife Reenat, who was India’s Ambassador to Italy and the Netherlands, have two children. His interests include reading, movies and outdoor sports.