He is the current NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber, a position he was appointed to in September 2021.

[1][4] From December 2010 until April 2022, Appathurai was the Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy.

[1][5][6][7] During this time, he took on the role of Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia,[8][9][10][11] and held discussions with the government of Georgia about potential NATO accession.

[12][13] In 2021, President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili awarded Appathurai the Order of the Golden Fleece for his contribution to Georgia–NATO relations.

[14] Appathurai was one of three NATO representatives at the 2024 Bilderberg Conference, an annual exclusive gathering of the European and North American political and business elite.