T. Suvarna Raju, Director (Design & Development) of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., on Saturday took additional charge as Chairman of the company, according to an official statement.
The baton returns to an HAL old-timer after three years. R.K. Tyagi, who handed over the charge earlier in the day, came in from Pawan Hans Helicopters to head the defence public enterprise.
On his new stint at the Rs. 15,000-crore, 32,000-strong military aircraft manufacturing company, Mr. Raju said, “Given the high expectation built around the company, my priorities would be to concentrate on operational excellence and build the company as a technology powerhouse.”
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An engineering graduate, management alumnus from IIT-Madras and M.Phil in Defence & Strategic Studies, Mr. Raju joined HAL in 1980 as management trainee. He attended the National Defence College and did a programme on intellectual property rights at the National Law School of India University.
Mr. Raju is credited with drafting HAL’s first R&D policy, following which HAL has filed for an unprecedented 1,000 patents in the last two years. He has led HAL's initiative for an indigenous 25-kN turbofan engine.