Dr. J M Phatak, born on March 26, 1955, is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer from the 1978 Maharashtra cadre. He holds a B.Sc. in Physics, a Certificate in French, and a postgraduate degree in Public Administration. Throughout his career, he served in various capacities including Chairman & MD, Additional Secretary, Municipal Commissioner, Principal Secretary, Secretary, Director, Deputy Secretary, District Collector, CEO, Under Secretary, and Assistant Collector. His most recent position was Member Secretary at Mumbai, Maharashtra, in the Planning Department. Dr. Phatak received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Bombay, the K.K. Birla Fellowship in Economics, and the Edward Mason Fellowship at Harvard University.