Bengaluru: Ravi K takes charge as chairman and managing director (CMD) of defense PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), becoming the 22nd CMD of the company. He succeeds DK Sunil, who retired on April 30.Ravi K was the Director (Operations) of HAL and was responsible for strategic planning. He has more than 30 years of experience in aerospace and defense, manufacturing and electronics.“During his earlier tenure as Executive Director and General Manager of LCA Tejas division, he was involved in several major contracts including the supply of 180 LCA Tejas aircraft to the Indian Air Force and 156 LCH Prachand helicopters to the Indian Army and Air Force,” HAL said in a statement.He was also recognized for his contribution in operating the LCA Tejas fleet in the IAF and increasing the indigenous content in the programme, it added.“During his tenure, HAL expanded into civil manufacturing as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). He also oversaw the outsourcing of airframe components to private sector partners to expand production capacity,” HAL said.Ravi graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Malnad College of Engineering, Karnataka, and is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and IAS, Toulouse, France. He also serves as a nominated director on the Board of Directors of Multi-Purpose Transport Aircraft Limited.He said that upon assuming office, his focus will be on making HAL competitive in the global aerospace and defense market with a focus on innovation, artificial intelligence adoption and operational efficiency.
