The U.S.-India Business Council has a new leader roughly three months after a majority of board members voted to have the organization leave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Nisha Desai Biswal has been appointed president of the council, the Chamber announced Tuesday. Biswal most recently was assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs in the U.S. Department of State.

USIBC is one of 15 international business councils run by the Chamber, but relations between the two groups have been strained in recent months. In July, the board voted 29-0—with four members abstaining—to have the council cut ties with the Chamber. Among their grievances, board members were upset the Chamber had dismissed former council President Mukesh Aghi. The business group contends he resigned.

Chamber CEO Tom Donohue fired back in a July 11 letter to USIBC members, contending the revolt was led by "a group of disaffected individuals" and that the board had no authority to transform the council into an independent organization.

Former USIBC board members launched the nonprofit US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in August to continue on the work they had previously done as part of the council. Aghi was named president of the forum while former USIBC Executive Vice President Gaurav Verma was hired as COO.

The Chamber didn't mention the controversy in the announcement of Biswal's hiring. The group instead pointed to her previous experience in foreign affairs, which includes staff director of the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee and the Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Biswal has a bachelor's degree in international relations and affairs from the University of Virginia. http://uscham.com/2hBnCtM

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