HAL appoints Kota Ravi as Chairman and MD as D K Sunil steps down

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has appointed Kota Ravi as the 22nd Chairman and Managing Director, as Dr D K Sunil stepped down on Friday.

Ravi comes with over 30 years of experience across various sectors such as A&D, manufacturing and electronics. Prior to the present appointment, he was the Director (Operations) at HAL, where he led strategic planning and played a key role in securing the company's Maharatna status.

Also read: HAL Chairman & Managing Director D K Sunil steps down


Ravi is said to drive the HAL's global ambitions while transforming it into a competitive aerospace and defence enterprise, driven by innovation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), operational excellence and people.

Kota Ravi's profile

Ravi is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from Malnad College of Engineering, Karnataka and an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and IAS, Toulouse, France.

Alongside his leadership role at HAL, he is also a Nominee Director on the board of Multi-Role Transport Aircraft Ltd.

He has held key leadership roles, including Executive Director and General Manager of the LCA T ejas Division and Executive Director (Corporate Planning). He had concluded numerous big-ticket contracts for HAL including the following contracts:

• supply of 180 LCA Tejas to the Indian Air Force
• suppy of 156 LCH Prachand to Indian Army and Indian Air Force
• operationalisation of the LCA Tejas fleet in IAF

He boosted fleet serviceability, established seamless data communication with IAF bases and created a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for timely customer support. Initiatives led by Ravi have diversified HAL into Civil manufacturing and MRO, creating new revenue streams and expanding HAL's market presence.

"Ravi has been a driving force in strengthening indigenous capabilities within the LCA Tejas programme by increasing local content and expanding production capacity in Nasik," HAL said in a regulatory filing.

Ravi's contribution to HAL's growth story also includes developing a robust manufacturing ecosystem by outsourcing major fuselage assemblies to private sector firms. The privatisation strategy is now delivering tangible results through ongoing deliveries.