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The Indian American and a former Obama Administration official Arun M Kumar has been elected as a member of a top United States think-tank, the Council on Foreign Relations.

The 66-year-old Kumar, currently the chairman and chief executive officer served as a top U.S. commercial diplomat in the Obama administration.

In his role as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, he led the trade and investment promotion efforts for the U.S. Government.

"We take pride in Arun's election as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which has been an influential voice in international relations not just in the U.S., but across the globe. I am confident that with his global business and diplomatic experience, Arun will add immense value to the CFR," said Bill Thomas, chairman of KPMG International.

"I am honored to join the Council of Foreign Relations. The work of the CFR is more relevant than ever before, especially in Asia and the part of the world where I now live," Kumar said.

"I look forward to working with other members of the CFR to foster leading ideas and conversations around vital and strategic foreign policy and business issues in the Indo-Pacific corridor," he said.

The Council on Foreign Relations includes some of the most respected global leaders and people from across the fields of government, business, education, and journalism.

The Council aims to offer a balanced and nuanced study of foreign policy globally.

Its bi-monthly journal Foreign Affairs and its David Rockefeller Studies Program have contributed to foreign policy thinking in the United States by making recommendations to Administration as well as to the diplomatic and international relations community.

By Sowmya Sangam