Ujal Singh BHATIA

Ujal Singh Bhatia was appointed as Member of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation, Geneva in November 2011 where he continued to serve until the end of his second term in March 2020. During this period, he served as Chairman of the Appellate Body for two years (2017 and 2018). In the course of his term, Mr. Bhatia adjudicated 25 disputes between WTO Members, including 9 as Presiding Member.

Prior to his appointment to the Appellate Body, Mr. Bhatia served on the WTO Panel in China-Measures Affecting Imports of Automobile Parts (DS339, DS340, DS342).

Mr. Bhatia was India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO between 2004-2010. During this period, he was involved in various negotiations under the Doha Round. He also represented India in several WTO disputes before the Appellate Body.

Mr. Bhatia joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1974 and served in various capacities in the state of Odisha as well as in the central government in Delhi. In Odisha, his assignments included:
  District Magistrate of 3 districts (Phulbani, Kalahandi and Sambalpur)
  Chairman and Managing Director, Orissa Mining Corporation
  Managing Director, Industrial Development Corporation
  Principal Secretary, Industry

In the Central Government in Delhi, Mr. Bhatia served as Joint Secretary in the Commerce Ministry for 5 years (1995-2000), and briefly in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (2000), before moving to Geneva as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the WTO. During this period, he was involved in several trade negotiations at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels. He was the Chief Negotiator for the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISLFTA) and the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA).

Mr. Bhatia has wide experience of trade policy issues at various levels – domestic, bilateral, regional and multilateral.

He was appointed as Honorary Professor at the National Law University, Delhi in February 2021. He is also a Member of the Sustainability Advisory Board of Eisai Co. Tokyo, a reputed research driven pharmaceuticals company.

Education: Mr. Bhatia graduated from Delhi University with a B.A (Honours) degree in Economics in 1971 and received his M.A (Economics) degree from the same university in 1973. He also received a M.A (Economics) degree from Manchester University in 1991.

Mr. Bhatia is married, with two children, and lives in Delhi.