NEW DELHI: Ravi K on Friday assumed charge as the 22nd chairman and managing director (CMD) of Maharatna aerospace and defense PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) from Dr DK Sunil, who superannuated on Thursday.He is taking over the reins of HAL at a time the PSU is managing a massive order book of Rs 2.54 lakh crore (as of March 31), which includes production of LCA Tejas Mk1A & Mk2, ALH Dhruv -Rudra, LCH Prachand, and upgrades of Su-30MKI and Jaguar DARIN III, Mirage and Hawk-I. One of his key challenges would be to quickly complete the pending orders of Tejas delivery to the IAF, which is already facing delays. due to late delivery of engines by US giant GE.Ravi K has held key leadership roles, including executive director and GM of the LCA Tejas division, as well as executive director (corporate planning), HAL said in a release.Ravi brings over 30 years of experience across various sectors such as A&D, manufacturing and electronics. Prior to this, he was the director (operations) at HAL, where he led strategic planning and played a key role in securing HAL’s Maharatna status. “My vision is to transform HAL into a globally competitive aerospace and defense enterprise, driven by innovation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), operational excellence, and people,” Ravi K said. A mechanical engineering graduate from Malnad College of Engineering, Karnataka, Ravi K is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and IAS, Toulouse, France. He is also a nominee director on the board of Multi-Role Transport Aircraft Ltd.Ravi K boosted fleet serviceability through various customer-centric initiatives, established seamless data communication with IAF bases and created a single point of contact for timely-customer support, HAL said.He has been a driving force in strengthening indigenous capabilities within the LCA Tejas program by increasing local content and expanding production capacity in Nashik.He also played a pivotal role in developing a robust manufacturing ecosystem by outsourcing major fuselage assemblies to private sector partners, a strategy that is now delivering tangible results through ongoing deliveries. His initiatives have diversified HAL into civil manufacturing and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), creating new revenue streams and expanding HAL’s market presence, it said.
