WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has appointed Richard Verma, an Indian American and former ambassador to India, to a White House committee that advises the president on the functioning of the country's vast intelligence sector.

In addition to Verma, Biden selected retired Admiral James A. "Sandy" Winnefeld as chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, as well as Janet Napolitano, a former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (a cabinet position), and Gilman G. Louie as members.

According to the White House, the advisory board is an independent component of the president's executive office that exists solely to assist him by providing him with a "independent source of advice on the effectiveness with which the Intelligence Community is meeting the nation's intelligence needs, as well as the vigour and insight with which the community plans for the future."

Verma is presently the general counsel and head of global public policy at Mastercard. In 2014, President Barack Obama appointed him as the United States' ambassador to India, making him the first Indian American to hold the position. He had previously worked at the State Department as an assistant secretary of state and as the Senate Majority Leader's National Security Advisor.

Verma was a key member of Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, where she oversaw the team's outreach to Indian Americans.

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