Aditi Kumar

Deputy Director

Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)

Aditi Kumar is the Deputy Director for Strategy, Policy, and National Security Partnerships at DIU. In this role, Aditi drives DIU’s collaboration with the Military Departments, Joint Staff, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense to deliver capabilities at scale to meet warfighter requirements. She further leads our teams focused on policy, interagency partnerships, legislative affairs, and international affairs.

Prior to joining DIU, Aditi served as the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment. At A&S, she supported some of the Department’s highest priority initiatives including security assistance to Ukraine, industrial production expansion and acceleration, supply chain risk management, and military installation and housing policy.

Before joining DoD, Aditi was the Executive Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. Aditi also led the Belfer Center’s Economic Diplomacy Initiative, focused on research and expertise at the intersection of international affairs and economic policy.

Aditi was previously a Principal at management consultancy Oliver Wyman in the financial services and public policy practices. She worked primarily with U.S. commercial and investment banks as well as U.S. regulators and policymakers on designing and implementing financial regulation. She also served as a Project Manager at the World Economic Forum, responsible for leading policy discussions among financial sector executives and policymakers on managing financial risk and designing effective global financial regulation.

Aditi has a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania’s Huntsman Program, an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School, and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Aditi immigrated from India when she was nine and grew up in Missouri.

Event Participation