SAFRAN Helicopter Engines India Appoints New Managing Director

Safran Helicopter Engines has appointed Jetendra S Gavankar as Managing Director of Safran Helicopter Engines India Pvt Ltd, succeeding Satish Kirtikar who is retiring. Gavankar will lead the company’s business in India and will be responsible for its strategic partnerships across the market and with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in particular.

Gavankar’s experience ranges from product development and core R&D to integration, upgrades, strategy and business development. He has served in the Indian Air Force (retiring as a Group Captain) for 25 years. He was Deputy Project Director at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and helped establish the Defence & Aerospace business for Adani Group. Most recently he was working as Director Engineering at Honeywell Technologies & Systems in Bangalore. Gavankar is a graduate of the Air Force Technical College, BITS-Pilani and IIM-Ahemdabad.

Safran Helicopter Engines EVP, Support and Services, Sébastien Jaulerry said, “I am pleased to welcome Jetendra to our team”. Florent Chauvancy, Safran Helicopter Engines EVP, OEM Sales, added, “Jetendra joins us during extremely challenging times. Under his leadership, Safran Helicopter Engines will expand decades-long relationships with all its partners in India, consistent with the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”