Mr. Arun K. Bansal is a retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of the Odisha cadre with over 45 years of experience in forest policy, conservation, and sustainable natural resource management. He has held several senior leadership positions, including Additional Director General of Forests (Government of India), Director General of ICFRE, Director of IIFM, Bhopal, and faculty roles at national forestry institutions.

Post-retirement, he has worked extensively as an advisor to JICA, INBAR, and state forest sector projects across India, and has contributed to national and international agroforestry and land governance policy development. A qualified Lead Auditor, he has been closely associated with sustainability certification and standards development for forests, plantations, and non-wood forest products.

Mr. Bansal is currently a Board Member of PEFC International and has authored over 50 publications on forest governance and environmental policy.