Arun Kumar

Arun M. Kumar, a global executive with 40 years of experience spanning multiple sectors, including technology, financial services, and government, is a Managing Partner at Celesta Capital.

For five years, Arun served as the Chairman and CEO of KPMG in India, an organization consisting of several thousand professionals engaged in providing assurance, tax, and advisory services. He led the organization through a period of extraordinary transformation and growth. KPMG has one of its largest employee bases in India. He was a member of the global board of directors of KPMG, as well as its EMA board.

Kumar previously served in President Obama’s Administration as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service (USFCS), under the leadership of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. As the Administration’s lead official to promote U.S. exports, foreign direct investment, and enhanced market access around the world, he led a team of 1,700 professionals in 78 countries and all 50 United States.

The Global Markets unit and USFCS saw substantial growth in coverage and impact during his tenure. During that time, Arun also had a special focus on the US-India economic relationship, helping establish high-level bilateral dialogues in areas ranging from innovation to infrastructure.  

Prior to his nomination by President Obama, Arun was a partner at KPMG LLP in the US and served on the Board of the firm. Based in Silicon Valley, he led KPMG’s Management Consulting practice in the West. His areas of practice included performance and finance management, and organizational transformation. Before joining KPMG, he was a co- founder, CEO, and CFO of three technology companies in Silicon Valley.