Mr. Lavanya Kumar is a career diplomat of the Indian Foreign Service with the rank of Minister. He joined the diplomatic service in 2009.

Mr. Kumar served in various capacities in the Ministry of External Affairs, including as Assistant Secretary in the Consular, Passport and Visa Division, and as Under Secretary for Bhutan in the Northern Division. In the latter capacity, he handled Indian loan and grant assistance for various bilateral development projects, including hydroelectric projects in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

He also served in various Indian missions abroad, including the Permanent Mission of India (PMI) to the UN Offices in Geneva. In the PMI, he handled work related to the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, and the International Labour Organization (ILO). While serving as First Secretary at the Embassy of India, Paris, he was the driving force behind the 'Namasté France' festival in 2016. In the High Commission of India, Dhaka, he worked as First Secretary in the Political Wing.

Prior to assuming charge as the Consul General of India, Milan, on 09 September 2024, Mr. Kumar worked as Director in International Cooperation, AMRUT, and Central Vista Divisions of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India from 2021-2024. He was also a core team member in the successful organization of the Urban-20 (U20) Summit, a city diplomacy initiative, in Ahmedabad in 2023.

He is fluent in English and has working proficiency in French. He is passionate about History and geopolitics.

He is married to Poornima and has a son.