Born on 1 June 1978 in Odisha, Nikhilesh Giri obtained his Master's degree in Geology from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. He was briefly a student at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi before joining the Indian Foreign Service in 2002.
His first posting was in Egypt from 2004 to 2006, where he learnt Arabic at the American University in Cairo. Between 2006 and 2009, he was posted as Second Secretary (Political, Economic & Information) in Embassy of India, Muscat. He then returned to New Delhi for a two-year stint as Under Secretary/ Deputy Secretary dealing with India's relations with Russia. During 2011-2015, he served in the Embassy of India and later in the Indian Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta as First Secretary/ Counsellor. From 2015 to 2018, he was India's Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia. Upon return to New Delhi, he worked as Director in the Indo-Pacific Division from April to December 2018 and then as Joint Secretary of the West Asia & North Africa Division from December 2018 to August 2021. During August 2021-2024, he served as the Consul General of India in Osaka-Kobe, Japan.
He assumed charge as Deputy Chief of Mission in Embassy of India, Moscow on 4 September 2024.
He is married to Jayanti Giri, and they have a son and a daughter.
