Ashok Malik is a Partner at The Asia Group and Chair of its New Delhi-based subsidiary in India where he leads the firm’s in-market business strategy and services. Prior to joining the firm, Ashok served for three years (2019-22) as Policy Advisor/Additional Secretary in India’s Ministry of External Affairs. In that capacity, he worked closely with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and others in the senior leadership of the Ministry to help shape and explain India’s foreign policy in a crucial and eventful period for the international system. Between 2017 and 2019, Ashok served as speechwriter and spokesperson for the 14th President of India, President Ram Nath Kovind. Before joining the government, Ashok was a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, one of India’s preeminent think-tanks, where he analyzed India’s foreign policy and political economy. For nearly two decades, Ashok also had a distinguished career as a writer and editor at The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express and numerous other leading Indian publications. He became one of India’s best-read columnists and commentators, and was in 2016 awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors.