Dr. K.N. Raghavan completed his MBBS from Calicut Medical College in 1988. Later, while pursuing postgraduate studies in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, he joined the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) in 1990. He held key posts in field formations of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. He has also served on deputation to the Government of Kerala, besides serving a tenure as First Secretary (Commerce) in the High Commission of India, Singapore. He was the Commissioner of Customs in Kochi from 2012-2017 and Principal Commissioner of Central GST in Mumbai from 2017-2019. He worked as chairman and executive director of Rubber Board and also held charge as Chairman of Tea Board, Tobacco Board and Marine Products Export Development Authority. Presently he is Chief Commissioner of Customs and GST.

Dr Raghavan was accredited as an umpire with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 1991. He has umpired two One-Day International matches (one on field and one as third umpire), and was reserve umpire in three matches. He has umpired numerous Duleep, Deodhar and Ranji Trophy matches, besides matches in other BCCI tournaments. He was also the first umpire in the world to uphold the appeal for ‘Timed Out’ in first class cricket.

His book, Dividing Lines: Contours of India-China Conflict, won critical acclaim as one of the best researched books on the topic of the Sino-Indian war of 1962. He is also the author of World Cup Chronicle and Vanishing Shangri La: History of Tibet and Dalai Lamas in the Twentieth Century. His works in fiction category are A Slice of Calicut Halwa and Bouncer (Malayalam).

He is a long distance runner and regularly takes part in marathons.

Dr. Raghavan is married to Dr. Ranjini, a consultant ENT surgeon, who specialises in surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. They have a daughter, Aiswarya, who is married to Emil Fjord. The couple are presently based in Stockholm, Sweden.