Between 2009 and 2011, this Indian diplomat served as Ambassador to the United States. She was the second woman (after Vijaya Lakshmi Nehru Pandit) to hold this prestigious position.
After being educated at St.Mary's Convent and subsequently pursuing a career with the Indian Foreign Service, she was appointed to high-ranking positions within both India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Indian Prime Minister's Office.
Prior to her appointment as U.S. Ambassador, she was her country's Ambassador to Germany.
She and her husband, former Indian Department of Industrial Policy Secretary Ajay Shankar, raised a daughter named Priya.
In 2009, she succeeded Ronen Sen as Indian Ambassador to the United States.
