To Report from the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, on His Very First Day
NDTV has announced the appointment of Aditya Raj Kaul as Senior Executive Editor, Geopolitics, National Security and Strategic Affairs NDTV 24×7, bringing one of India’s most formidable voices in foreign affairs, defence, and strategic affairs to its newsroom.
While most people take time to settle in, Kaul has hit the ground running – on his very first day at NDTV, he is reporting from Tianjin, China, covering the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping, and President Vladimir Putin are in attendance.
Kaul’s career spans more than 15 years across leading national and international newsrooms. He has reported from the frontlines of some of the most consequential events of our time – the India-China standoff at the LAC in Ladakh, the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Jordan, India’s first Head of the State visit to Israel and Palestine, and major terror attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was also the first journalist on the ground in Kashmir during the 2014 floods with the Indian Air Force, covered the Uttarakhand cloudburst disaster, and tracked Maoist terror strikes in Chhattisgarh.
Internationally, Kaul has reported from over a dozen global summits, including the G20 in Australia, BRICS in China, ASEAN in Malaysia and Vietnam, and SAARC in Nepal, as well as high-level visits to the United States, Germany, Israel, and several other countries.
His access to world leaders has led to exclusive interviews with figures such as External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and numerous other global luminaries.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he reported extensively for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) from New Delhi.
An award-winning documentary journalist, Kaul’s acclaimed works include Airlift (on India’s Operation Ganga in Ukraine), Murder of an Indian Diplomat (on the killing of Ravindra Mhatre in Birmingham in 1984), Killed by the Taliban (on the killing of photojournalist Danish Siddiqui in Afghanistan), Bombs in Our Backyard (on the Indian Army’s classified mission during the pandemic) and several other acclaimed works that probe India’s defining moments with rare insight and narrative precision.
His reportage has won the Golden DigiPub World Award (2023) for Best Breaking News and Investigation, the News Television Award (2023) for Best News Documentary, the Ram Jethmalani Prize for Service to Humanity, and the Exceptional Leader of Excellence Award from the Women Economic Forum.
Beyond reporting, Kaul is a sought-after guest faculty and speaker. He has lectured at premier institutions, including the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, Army War College, CRPF Academy, and IIM Ahmedabad. He has also represented India at global forums such as the US State Department’s ACYPL Exchange, the ASEAN Journalists Forum in Vietnam, among others.
On his appointment, Aditya Raj Kaul said: ‘It is an honour to join NDTV at this important juncture. Journalism, for me, has always been about being present where history is being shaped and bringing clarity and context to events that impact millions. I look forward to contributing to NDTV’s legacy of credibility and India-first reporting.’
Rahul Kanwal, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, NDTV, said: ‘Aditya is among the finest in the field of strategic and international journalism. His track record – from conflict zones to global summits, from documentaries to breaking investigations- is formidable. That his very first day has taken him to Tianjin to cover one of the year’s most significant diplomatic gatherings shows his readiness and NDTV’s commitment to being at the forefront of the big global stories.’
As India asserts its might on the global stage – its diplomacy shaping outcomes and its voice resonating with authority, NDTV stands committed to telling that story. Kaul’s very first day reporting from the SCO Summit in Tianjin is a powerful expression of this resolve – the new NDTV will chronicle a new India that leads the world into its next phase of growth and prosperity.
