Ashok Kumar Mirpuri

Ashok Kumar Mirpuri (born December 13, 1959 ) is a Singaporean diplomat and the former Singapore Ambassador to the United States and to Indonesia.

Early life and education

Mirpuri was born and raised in Singapore. His father, who came to Singapore from India in the late 1930s, was a trader. His mother came after World War II. He completed his Master's degree at SOAS in 1992. He also attended the Program for Executive Development at the Institute for Management Development in Switzerland and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in the United States.

Career

Mirpuri joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1984 when he joined the Singapore Administrative Service.

He returned to the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta in 1998 as Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission. From 2000 to 2002, Mirpuri served his first ambassadorship as Singapore's High Commissioner to Australia. From 2002 to 2006, he was High Commissioner to Malaysia. While in Kuala Lumpur, he represented Singapore in its ratification of a Special Agreement to refer its dispute over Pedra Branca with Malaysia to the International Court of Justice.

Afterwards, Mirpuri returned to Jakarta for the third time, serving as Ambassador to Indonesia from July 2006 to 2012. In July 2012, he became Singapore's 7th Ambassador to the United States. During his tenure, President Barack Obama hosted Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for a state visit. Mirpuri served in Washington, D.C. from July 2012 until June 2023,

Awards and recognitions

While serving as Ambassador to Indonesia in 2010, Mirpuri was awarded the Pingat Pentadbiran Awam Emas, or Gold Public Administration Medal. They have one daughter and one son. Mirpuri enjoys golfing and running.