Dr (Mrs) Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) is the second woman Secretary General of the Association in its 97 years of existence. She has been serving the higher education sector for more than three decades at senior positions at the University Grants Commission of India. She is the Chief Commissioner for Guides of Bharat Scouts and Guides. She is also a Member of the General Assembly and Finance Committee of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi.

Dr Mittal is a Fulbright Scholar and has been a topper in MSc and PhD in Agricultural Statistics from IARI, New Delhi. Dr Mittal has also served as the first regular Vice Chancellor of Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Haryana, the first rural women’s university of North India, for two terms. Dr Mittal is also the recipient of many awards and honours, including the Fulbright Nehru Scholarship Grant for Educational Administrators, President of India Award in 2017 for Digital Initiatives in Higher Education, Honorary Doctorate – DLitt (Honoris Causa) from Karnataka State Women’s University, Karnataka, First Padam Shri Subhashini
Devi Award 2018 for Contributions in Societal Development and Community Engagement, Qimpro Gold Standard Award for Leadership in Education for the year 2018 and Smt Sushma
Swaraj Stree Shakti Samman 2020.

Dr Mittal has visited a number of countries, including USA, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, China, South Korea, Spain, Germany, South Africa, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritius and Philippines, for academic purposes, presenting papers in international conferences and academic exchanges. She has published a number of papers, articles, occasional papers and reports on issues relating to higher education and women empowerment in national and international journals.