Shivshankar Menon, is India's Foreign Secretary. Menon was the High Commissioner to Pakistan and served in China and Israel as ambassador and diplomat.

A Masters in History from Delhi University, Menon will have a nearly three-year tenure. He also had a stint in the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) as an Adviser.

Foreign diplomacy is in the veins of the Palat Tharavad (family) of Shivshankar Menon hailing from Ottapalam in Palakkad district district of Kerala. Mr. K.P.S. Menon (senior),India's first foreign secretary, is his grandfather and Mr. K.P.S. Menon (junior), former Indian ambassador to China, is his uncle. His father P.N. Menon was also a career diplomat and served as the ambassador of Yugoslavia in his last days.