V. S. Seshadri joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1978. Apart from diplomatic and ambassadorial assignments abroad, he served as the Joint Secretary for WTO matters in India's Ministry of Commerce from 1999 to 2003, when he undertook trade negotiations. He also served as the Vice-Chairman of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) post-retirement and is currently working with the Delhi Policy Group as a Senior Fellow on International Trade.