1. Naresh Chandra was a 1956 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Rajasthan cadre who served as the Cabinet Secretary of India, Defence Secretary of India, Home Secretary of India, Water Resources Secretary of India and Indian Ambassador to the United States.
Naresh Chandra was awarded India's second highest civilian honour the Padma Vibhushan for civil service in 2007.
Naresh Chandra served as a lecturer in the Allahabad University before his selection as an Indian Administrative Service officer.
Naresh Chandra served as an Adviser to the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 1986 for a duration of eight months.
Naresh Chandra served as Adviser for the Commonwealth Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Post his superannuation from the service as the Cabinet Secretary of India, Naresh Chandra was appointed a Senior Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office, and hence was deemed to have been reemployed into the IAS.
Naresh Chandra was appointed the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, he assumed the office of the Chief Secretary on 22 July 1985, and demitted on 09 March 1986.
Naresh Chandra was appointed the Union Water Resources Secretary by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, he assumed the office on 1 February 1987, and demitted it on 1 February 1989, after serving for two years.
Naresh Chandra was appointed the Union Defence Secretary by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, he assumed the office of the Defence Secretary on 1 February 1989, and demitted it on 1 March 1990.
Naresh Chandra was appointed the Union Home Secretary by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, he assumed the office of the Home Secretary on 1 March 1990, and demitted it on 1 December 1990.
Naresh Chandra was appointed the Union Cabinet Secretary by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, he assumed office of the Cabinet Secretary on 1 December 1990, and demitted it and simultaneously superannuated from service on 31 July 1992.
Naresh Chandra was appointed the Indian Ambassador to the United States by the Prime Minister of India in 1996, he was confirmed to the diplomatic position by the President of the United States of America in 1996, he remained as the Ambassador of India to the United States till 2001.
Naresh Chandra has been the Indian Co-chairman of the US-India Technology Group, and Member of the Indo-US Economic Sub-Commission, which lent him valuable insight into the broad range of Indo-US relations.
Naresh Chandra has been deeply involved in several important conferences organised subsequently in the US by business development groups.
Naresh Chandra chaired the Confederation of Indian Industry Task Force on Corporate Governance which submitted its report in November 2009 for voluntary adoption by listed companies and wholly owned subsidiaries of listed companies in India.
Naresh Chandra died at a hospital in Panaji, Goa, India, of multiple organ failure on 9 July 2017 at the age of 82.