Not just Divya Mittal: Her IAS husband also quit civil services in 2022

The resignation of 2013-batch Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer Divya Mittal has also brought attention to her husband, Gagandeep Singh Dhillon.

Dhillon is a former civil servant who left government service in 2022 after a career spanning international finance and India's Commerce Ministry.

While Mittal resigned from the IAS on Sunday after a 13-year stint, Dhillon quit the civil services in 2022. He had joined the Indian Trade Service in 2011.

Dhillon resigned from the civil services while serving as Joint Director General in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He later returned to financial markets and is currently associated with Neuracap as an algorithmic trader, according to his LinkedIn profile.

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From IIT Delhi to international finance

Dhillon completed his BTech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi in 2002 before earning an MBA in Financial Mathematics from IIM Bangalore in 2005.

Before entering the civil services, he worked in international finance. His professional experience included stints with BNP Paribas in Singapore and Citigroup in London, where he worked in areas including derivatives market-making, credit options and foreign exchange trading.

He later returned to India and appeared for the Civil Services Examination in 2010. He cleared the examination on his first attempt and joined the Indian Trade Service under the Ministry of Commerce.

During his government career, Dhillon worked with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, dealing with areas such as import policies, export controls and international business regulations.

Between 2019 and 2020, he completed a MicroMasters in Data, Economics and Development Policy from MIT.

Divya Mittal's similar journey from London to IAS

Like Dhillon, Mittal had also moved from a successful corporate career to the civil services. She studied at IIT Delhi before completing her management education at IIM Bangalore. She subsequently moved to London, where she worked as an associate at JPMorgan from April 2007 to July 2008.

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However, despite achieving what she had earlier considered professional success, Mittal said she felt something was missing while living abroad. In her resignation post, she said being away from India weighed on her and that she felt her education and opportunities created a responsibility towards the country.

She eventually returned to India and joined the IAS in 2013. Over a 13-year career, she served in several positions, including as district magistrate of Deoria, Mirzapur and Sant Kabir Nagar.