Preeti Sudan

Preeti Sudan (30 April 1960) is a retired 1983 batch Indian Administrative Service officer belonging to Andhra Pradesh cadre who served as Health Secretary of India from October 2017 to July 2020. She has been the key strategist in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Post, retirement she served as a member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR), an independent group examining how the World Health Organization (WHO) from 2020 till 2022. Then, she served as member of Union Public Service Commission from 29 November 2022 onwards. Thereafter, on 1 August 2024 she was appointed Chairman of Union Public Service Commission and will serve there till 29 April 2025.

Early life and education

Sudan has degrees in Economics and Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics. She has been trained in public finance management in Washington.

Career

A 1983 batch IAS officer of the Andhra cadre, Sudan was previously a Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution. Apart from this, she has served at various central and state level positions such as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defense as well as in position relating to disaster management and tourism. She has been a key functionary in the planning and implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, a scheme of the Indian government's National Health Policy aiming to provide free health coverage at the secondary and tertiary level to India's bottom 40% poor and vulnerable population. She has also served as consultant in the World Bank.

Since 2020, Sudan has been serving as a member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR), an independent group examining how the World Health Organization (WHO) and countries handled the COVID-19 pandemic, co-chaired by Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and served till 28 November 2022. Thereafter, she served as a member of Union Public Service Commission from 29 November 2022 onwards. Afterwards, on 1 August 2024 she was appointed Chairman of Union Public Service Commission and will serve there till 29 April 2025.

Other activities

• Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), Member of the Board