S.Y. QURAISHI joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1971. He served as the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India, when he introduced major electoral reforms, including the Voter Education Division, the Expenditure Monitoring Division, and founded the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) that has trained officials from over 143 countries. He also launched National Voters' Day to boost voter participation.

Dr Quraishi was appointed as the Global Ambassador of Democracy, alongside Kofi Annan, by International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) in October 2018. He has represented India in election observation missions worldwide. Featured in the Indian Express's list of 100 Most Powerful Indians (2011 and 2012), he has delivered lectures at universities such as Oxford, Harvard, and Columbia, among many others. He is currently Chancellor Emeritus of IILM University, Gurugram. You can reach him at @DrSYQuraishi on X, @quraishisy on Instagram and at www.drsyquraishi.in.