Viraj Kulkarni has been appointed as honorary consul of the Republic of Cyprus in Mumbai for the Maharashtra jurisdiction.
He is a fellow member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and a certified independent director from Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (MCA, GOI).
Honorary consuls are local citizens of a host country who voluntarily represent a foreign government in a specific region or country.
In his new role, Kulkarni will promote bilateral relations, economic and cultural ties, and educational ties between the two countries. Honorary consuls may also advise companies from their home country on local business culture and cooperation partners.
His role further involves providing assistance and consular protection for citizens and institutions of the represented country, especially in emergencies and facilitating trade and cultural exchanges.
Kulkarni has more than 34 years of experience in emerging and advanced capital markets, including as operations head at Morgan Stanley Securities Services, India and Investor Services Division at Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
In 2015, Kulkarni founded PIVOT, a consulting company in the securities services sector in Asia and the Middle East.
Previously, Kulkarni served as country head of Securities Services with CitiBank (India and Switzerland), JP Morgan Chase, and BNP Paribas. He also served on the ASPAC management board of BNP Paribas Securities Services.
Commenting on his new role, Kulkarni says: "India and Republic of Cyprus have a deep connect which strengthened in recent years. I feel privileged to have the opportunity of contributing to the same. Multiple opportunities hold out to the mutual benefit of India and Republic of Cyprus especially in Trade and Commerce, Capital Markets and Tourism."
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