Ajay Kakkar was born in 1964 in Dartford to professor of vascular surgery Vijay Kakkar and his wife, a consultant anaesthetist.[1]
He was educated at Alleyn's School before gaining admission to King's College London, where he gained first a bachelor's degree in pharmacology in 1985 and then a medical degree in 1988. Subsequently, he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree by Imperial College London; his thesis, titled "Tissue factor, thrombin generation and cancer", was submitted in 1998.[2]
His father was a pioneer in the use of low-molecular weight heparin therapy,[3] and he followed in his footsteps as a surgeon and medical researcher.
Career
Kakkar is Chair of King's Health Partners, the Academic Health Science Centre,[4] Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute,[5] London, and lectures and publishes widely on his specialism. He has worked with the NHS on its strategy to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE). He is a Commissioner of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, former chair of the Board of Governors at Alleyn's School,[6] Dulwich, and a Trustee of the Dulwich Estate. In December 2022 he succeeded Bernard Taylor[7] as chairman of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.[8]
Kakkar has been noted for his work promoting British business as an ambassador for the United Kingdom. He took 11 trips in 2014 to promote business relations.[14]
^Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Lords, Westminster (22 March 2010). "Lords Hansard text for 22 March 2010". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
^Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Lords, Westminster (22 March 2010). "Lords Appointments". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2014.