About Dr. Kiran Bedi
Dr. Kiran Bedi was India’s first and highest-ranking woman police officer, having joined the Indian Police Service in 1972. In 2003, she became the first woman to serve as the United Nations Police Adviser. Her national service spans more than four decades in Public Administration, Creative and Reformative Policing, and Prison Management. She was also the former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Union Territory of India, from 2016 to 2021.
Dr. Bedi also established two non-governmental organizations, Navjyoti and India Vision Foundation, which support thousands of underserved children, women, and men in the areas of education, vocational skills, environment, counseling, and health care to the urban and rural poor, including prisoners and police officers’ children.
Dr. Bedi is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award (Philippines) for Government Service, the Joseph Beuys Foundation Award (Germany) for Holistic and Innovative Management, the Police Medal for Gallantry (India) for conspicuous courage, and the Morrison Tom Gitchoff Award (United States) for actions that have significantly improved the quality of justice in India.
She is the author of several books, including Fearless Governance, It's Always Possible, What Went Wrong, As I See, Broom and Groom, and Uprising 2011, in addition to her biography, I Dare. She anchors radio and television shows and is a columnist with leading newspapers and magazines. She has represented India in international forums on crime prevention, drug abuse, police, prison reform, and women’s issues, and has been a speaker at American, British, European and Indian universities and for corporate and civil society groups.
Dr. Kiran Bedi holds a master’s degree in political science and a Ph.D. in social sciences from the Indian Institute of Technology–Delhi. She is also a Nehru Fellow (post-doctoral) and has been a National and Asian Tennis champion.