Bengaluru, Jan 31 (IANS) T. Suvarna Raju Saturday took over as the 17th chairman of the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), following his predecessor R.K. Tyagi's retirement.
"My priorities will be on operational excellence, building the company as a technology powerhouse and creating a knowledge organisation," Raju said in a statement after assuming charge here.
Raju, director for design and development in the Rs.15,000-crore ($2.5 billion) defence behemoth, was selected from among five contenders to succeed Tyagi by the Public Enterprises Selection Board Sep 16 in New Delhi.
Raju, who has the distinction of being granted the first patent in the company in 2002, has applied for a whopping 1,000 patents during the last two years.
"My goal will be to align the company with the government's 'Make in India' endeavour though it's a challenging task in aerospace. I believe the best of technologies can never be bought, but can only be developed," Raju said.
Hailing from a village in West Godavari district in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Raju joined HAL in June 1980 as management trainee after graduating from IIT in Chennai.
He has master's degrees in business administration and in defence and strategic studies.
Raju, who drafted the company's first research and development (R&D) policy, spearheaded the country's self-reliance in producing 25 kN (kilo Newton) turbofan engines.
"Under Raju's leadership, the company initiated several R&D programmes covering Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), HTT-40 trainer, Jaguar Darin-III and Mirage upgrade," the statement said.
Raju was also instrumental in setting up a production line for rolling out advanced jet trainer (AJT) Hawk under licence from Britain's BAE Systems for Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilots.
Raju is also the first member-secretary of the design development management board in the defence ministry and member-secretary of the national aeronautics coordination group.
ICC T20 World Cup 2022: In the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, the teams of India and South Africa will f
The Karnataka government has made the online booking of autorickshaws illegal on ride-hailing app
Coronavirus UPDATES: Cases in India rise to 873, death toll at 19
कोरोनवायरस वायरस अपडेट: स्वास्थ्य औ
The expansion of the armies of India and China along the disputed border is raising the risk of a
Corona: Tough steps have been taken, the entire lockdown will affect the livelihood- Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that strict stepsWest Bengal Chief Mini
NRI detained at Amritsar Airport with 25 Bullets
Amritsar, Feb 25 (IANS) A US citizen of Indian origin was detained Wednesday at the Amritsar In
Ajay Devgan appeared in the role of 'Rahim Lala', made 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' a 'mafia queen'
Fans are quite excited about Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt's upcoming film 'Gangubai Kathiawadi'.
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved three corona vaccines for children for e
India joining TPP will damage medicine access: Experts
Kolkata, Feb 13 (IANS) With the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement expected in weeks, ex
* Wealth Tax to be abolished and additional two percent tax on super rich to yield Rs.9,000 crore
