Shri Devender Kumar Sikri has taken over as the Chairperson of Competition Commission of India on 11th January 2016. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in the year 1975. In a career spanning 38 years, he has handled a wide range of responsibilities in the Central Government and in the State Government of Gujarat. He holds an M.Phil degree as well as Master's Degree in Advanced Mathematics. He has also done the Advanced Professional Course in Public Administration from the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Delhi. He has extensive experience in the corporate sector, both at the industry level, and also at the policy level. In his role as the Joint Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, he chaired the Inter-Ministerial Group on the rationalization of the pricing policy for decontrolled phosphatic/ potassic fertilizer. He has served on the Boards of National Fertilizer Ltd.; Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers, IFFCO, KRIBHCO etc. As Managing Director of the Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation, he was instrumental in its turnaround. Later, in his role as the Commissioner, Industries Promotion and as Vice-Chairman of the Gujarat Industries Development Corporation, he introduced a number of projects facilitating the establishment of new industries. He has also held several other important positions with the Government of India, such as the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, and Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development. As Secretary, Government of India for the Department of Justice, under the Ministry of Law & Justice, he was instrumental in accelerating the computerization of courts, and the initiation of special drives in High Courts, for reduction of pendency.