Sujata Saunik Becomes Maharashtra's First Female Chief Secretary

Senior IAS officer Sujata Saunik has been appointed as Maharashtra's Chief Secretary, the first woman to hold the position in the state's 64-year history. She succeeds Nitin Kareer and will serve for a year before retiring in June next year. Saunik has extensive experience in public policy and governance.

Senior IAS officer Sujata Saunik made history on Sunday by becoming Maharashtra’s first female Chief Secretary, marking a significant milestone in the state’s 64-year-old history.

Saunik, an IAS officer from the 1987 batch, succeeds Nitin Kareer who retired the same day. She will serve a year-long tenure, retiring in June next year, an official confirmed.

The baton was officially passed to Saunik at a ceremony in Mantralaya, the state secretariat located in south Mumbai. Prior to her current role, Saunik, whose husband Manoj Saunik also served as a state chief secretary, was the additional chief secretary in the state home department.

Sujata Saunik brings with her three decades of expertise in public policy and governance, having worked in healthcare, finance, education, disaster management, and peacekeeping. Her extensive career spans multiple levels of government and international organizations including the United Nations.