Yashovardhan Azad is an Indian Police Service officer of the 1976 batch whose career took him from the mofussil districts of Madhya Pradesh to the highest offices of India's national security establishment. As special director of the Intelligence Bureau, he worked at the intersection of counterterrorism and strategic risk, carrying out assignments across Afghanistan and Bangladesh. In 2004, he was also a part of a sensitive mission to Pakistan to assess ground risks to an Indian cricket tour after fifteen years - a tour conceived in the spirit of political détente, and one that he helped make possible.
He was the national security coordinator for the visits of high-risk dignitaries such as US President Bill Clinton, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Pope to India. Later, as Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat, he became the nation's pre-eminent security official, supervising the prime minister's protection. He was also a member of the International Security Advisory Team for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
After retirement, he served as central information commissioner, delivering over 8,000 judgements under the Right to Information Act. He is a recipient of the Police Medal for Meritorious Service and the President's Medal for Distinguished Service.
A widely read columnist, sought-after public speaker and familiar television voice on matters of security, governance and public policy, Yashovardhan Azad lives in New Delhi and is currently a member of the governing council of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.