Tuhin Kanta Pandey, India’s Finance Secretary, has been appointed as the 11th chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a three-year term.

He will succeed Madhabi Puri Buch, whose tenure as SEBI chief ends on February 28, 2025.

According to a government notification issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on February 27, Pandey’s appointment has been approved by the Cabinet. An IAS officer from the 1987 batch, he currently serves as Finance Secretary and Secretary of the Department of Revenue.

Pandey takes charge at a time when the Indian stock market is facing downward pressure, with foreign institutional investors (FIIs) pulling out over Rs 1 lakh crore since January 2025.

Before leading the revenue department, Pandey was the longest-serving secretary in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), which oversees the government’s equity in public sector enterprises, as well as the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). 

He assumed office as Revenue Secretary on January 9, following Sanjay Malhotra’s move to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as governor.

Notably, Pandey played a key role in drafting the new Income Tax Bill, aimed at replacing the 1961 Income Tax Act.

A graduate of Punjab University, Chandigarh, with a master’s in economics, he also holds an MBA from the University of Birmingham, UK. His career spans various roles in the Odisha and central governments.