Who Is Mayank Kumar? 1991-Batch IRS Officer Appointed as Member of CBIC After Leading Mumbai Customs
Senior Indian Revenue Service officer Mayank Kumar, a 1991-batch officer of the Customs and Indirect Taxes stream, has been appointed as Member of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). The appointment, approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), marks his move from a senior field-level customs position to the apex board responsible for policy and administration relating to India’s central indirect taxes and customs.
Before this appointment, Kumar was serving as Principal Chief Commissioner of Mumbai Customs (Zone-I), one of the country’s important customs formations. He has been appointed against an existing vacancy and is set to continue in government service until November 2027.
His elevation to the CBIC Board comes after more than three decades in revenue administration. Over the course of his career, Kumar has worked across customs operations, indirect tax administration, enforcement, economic law enforcement and several senior field formations, building experience at both the operational and administrative levels.
Who Is Mayank Kumar?
Mayank Kumar is a 1991-batch Indian Revenue Service officer belonging to the Customs and Indirect Taxes stream. He entered Group ‘A’ service in October 1992 and has since spent more than three decades working in India’s revenue administration system.
His career has covered a wide range of responsibilities within the customs and indirect tax establishment. These assignments have included field administration, tax enforcement, customs operations, import-export related matters and economic law enforcement.
Over a professional career spanning more than 34 years, Kumar has moved through increasingly senior positions within the revenue administration. His latest appointment as Member of CBIC now places him at the board level, where responsibilities extend beyond a particular customs zone or field formation to wider issues concerning central indirect tax and customs administration.
IIT Kanpur Graduate With Management Education From IIM Ahmedabad
Kumar has a technical and management-oriented academic background. He holds a B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, where he studied between 1984 and 1988.
His academic journey did not end with engineering. He later pursued management education at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, completing an MBA/Post Graduate Diploma in Management during 2009-2010. His academic exposure at IIM Ahmedabad included electives in areas associated with finance and marketing.
The combination of an engineering education, management training and extensive experience in revenue administration has been part of his professional background as he moved through senior assignments in the customs and indirect tax system.
From Mumbai Customs to the CBIC Board
Immediately before his appointment to the CBIC, Mayank Kumar was serving as Principal Chief Commissioner of Mumbai Customs (Zone-I). The Mumbai Customs formation is a significant field establishment, given Mumbai’s role in international trade and the volume of import-export activity handled through the region.
As Principal Chief Commissioner, Kumar was responsible for the overall administration of the customs zone, including matters connected with customs operations, trade facilitation, enforcement and compliance. The assignment placed him at the senior-most field level within the customs administration.
His transition from Mumbai Customs to the CBIC Board represents a move from leading a major field formation to working at the apex level of the organisation. The new role will involve responsibilities linked to the wider policy and administrative framework governing customs and central indirect taxation.
More Than a Decade as Commissioner
Kumar’s career includes extensive experience at the Commissioner level. According to available professional-profile information, he served as Commissioner within the CBIC system for more than a decade, covering the period from 2013 to 2023.
The Commissioner-level assignments gave him exposure to the functioning of different field formations and to the practical implementation of tax and customs policies. Such roles also involve oversight of compliance, administration, enforcement and revenue-related responsibilities within designated jurisdictions.
Before that phase of his career, Kumar served as Additional Commissioner between 2006 and 2013. During this period, he handled responsibilities within the then Central Board of Excise and Customs system, which subsequently evolved into the present CBIC following the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax regime and changes in the indirect tax administration structure.
His long progression through Additional Commissioner and Commissioner-level positions reflects his extensive exposure to the operational side of the revenue establishment.
Experience at Chief Commissioner Level
Mayank Kumar has also served in the Chief Commissioner grade and handled major field responsibilities. One of his notable assignments was associated with the Pune GST and Central Excise Zone.
Chief Commissioner-level responsibilities involve supervision of multiple formations and coordination of tax administration across a larger geographical jurisdiction. Such assignments require oversight of both administrative and operational matters and bring officers into contact with a broad range of issues involving taxpayers, enforcement agencies, trade and revenue collection.
Kumar was subsequently elevated to the apex Scale 17 in the pay matrix along with other senior officers of his batch. His progression through different senior grades has included responsibilities in both field formations and the wider indirect tax administration.
Wide Experience Across Customs and Indirect Tax Administration
Over the course of his career, Kumar has worked across several areas that form an important part of India’s customs and indirect tax framework. His professional experience includes tax administration, customs operations, enforcement of economic laws and import-export compliance.
He has also handled matters relating to Special Economic Zones and Export Oriented Units, areas that involve close interaction between customs procedures, trade regulations and industrial activity. Experience in these areas has provided him with exposure to issues that connect revenue administration with international trade and economic activity.
His career has also included responsibilities relating to financial and corporate administration. Taken together, these assignments have given him exposure to a broad range of functions within the revenue establishment rather than being limited to a single specialised area.
What Does the CBIC Do?
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs is the apex organisation responsible for administering India’s central indirect taxes and customs. Its responsibilities include policy formulation, implementation and administration in areas falling within its jurisdiction.
The CBIC oversees the customs administration as well as central indirect tax systems and works through a large network of field formations across the country. Its work covers areas such as customs, GST-related administration, central excise in applicable areas, enforcement and measures intended to facilitate legitimate trade while ensuring compliance with tax and customs laws.
A Member of the CBIC therefore operates at the highest level of the organisation’s administrative structure. Board-level responsibilities involve broader policy, coordination and oversight rather than the jurisdiction of a single field formation.
Mayank Kumar’s New Role as Member, CBIC
Kumar’s appointment brings his extensive field experience into the apex policy and administrative structure of the indirect tax and customs establishment. Having led Mumbai Customs (Zone-I) as Principal Chief Commissioner and previously worked in Commissioner and Chief Commissioner-level roles, he enters the CBIC Board after a long career across different levels of revenue administration.
The appointment also comes at a time when customs administration continues to balance revenue and enforcement responsibilities with the need to facilitate international trade and improve administrative processes. His experience in customs operations, indirect tax administration, enforcement and trade-related matters forms the background to his new board-level assignment.
According to the appointment details, Kumar will continue in service until November 2027. His tenure on the CBIC Board will therefore add another significant chapter to a career that began with his entry into Group ‘A’ service in 1992 and has since included more than three decades of assignments across India’s revenue administration.
With his appointment as Member, CBIC, Mayank Kumar has moved from heading one of the country’s major customs field formations to a position at the apex level of central indirect tax and customs administration. The new responsibility will place his experience in field operations and revenue administration within a broader policy and institutional framework.
