T. Raja Kumar

T. Raja Kumar began a two-year term as President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on 1 July 2022. He succeeded Dr. Marcus Pleyer.

Mr. Raja Kumar has rich leadership and operational experience, having held a wide range of senior leadership roles in the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singapore and the Singapore Police Force for over 35 years. He currently serves as the Senior Advisor (International) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, advising on international policy development, partnerships and engagement. Prior to this, he was Deputy Secretary (International) at the Ministry from January 2015 to July 2021 and was concurrently the Chief Executive of the Home Team Academy between 2014 to 2018. As Deputy Secretary (International), Mr. Raja Kumar forged stronger collaborative relationships with key counterparts in the safety and security arena, including with strategic partners such as INTERPOL and the UN.

Previously, Mr. Raja Kumar also served as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Policy), Director of the Police Intelligence Department, and Senior Deputy Director of the Commercial Affairs Department. He served as the pioneer Chief Executive of the Casino Regulatory Authority and put in place a robust regulatory framework for the new casinos in Singapore, including for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), benchmarked against top-tiered jurisdictions.

Mr. Raja Kumar is a passionate advocate for the FATF and firmly believes in FATF’s mission and ability to make a global difference. He has led Singapore’s delegation at the FATF since 2015 and is the co-lead for Singapore’s national Inter-Agency Committee on AML/CFT. He co-led Singapore’s efforts for its Mutual Evaluation in 2015-2016 and has driven Singapore’s high level of involvement at FATF, including serving as a FATF Steering Group member for the last four years.

Mr. Raja Kumar holds a LLB (Hons.) degree from the National University of Singapore, and a Masters of Philosophy (Criminology & Law) from Cambridge University. He attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University in 2006.

Mr. Raja Kumar was awarded Singapore’s prestigious National Public Administration Gold medal in 2021, the Public Administration Silver medal in 2007, and the Public Administration Bronze medal in 1996 for his strong leadership and contributions. He was conferred the National Order of Merit by the Government of France in 2017, carrying the rank of Chevalier (Knight). In recognition of his contributions to the casino regulatory community, he was made a Lifetime Trustee of the International Association of Gaming Regulators in 2011.

Mr. Raja Kumar is a Board Member of the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore and also serves as Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.