Pratt & Whitney names Ashish Saraf as vice president and India head

Saraf will lead all strategic growth and transformation efforts in India, the company said in a statement.

Aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney on Monday announced the appointment of Ashish Saraf as Vice President and Country Head, India.

In this file photo an inspector for Pritt and Whitney engines, checks a United Airlines Boeing 777 after it made its inaugural flight from Heathrow Airport in London to Dulles International Airport, in Herndon, Virginia, near Washington on June 7, 1995.(Jawal A. Wilson/AFP)

Saraf will lead all strategic growth and transformation efforts in India, the company said in a statement.

He joins Pratt & Whitney from Thales, where he served as the country director and chairman for all Thales India businesses, including aerospace, defence, biometrics, cybersecurity, and the Global Capability Center, it said.

Saraf will be responsible for the growth and alignment of Pratt & Whitney's in-country engineering, supply chain, customer service, operations, and digital transformation centres, it said.

Pratt & Whitney has invested more than USD 40 million in the past four years in expanding its engineering, digital transformation, supply chain and aftermarket presence in India, said Satheeshkumar Kumarasingam, chief digital officer, Pratt & Whitney.

"Saraf's wealth of expertise across profit and loss management, business transformation, and strategic partnerships will bolster our next phase of growth in-country," he said.

He has over 20 years of industry and consulting experience, with an extensive background spanning the aerospace, space, defence, biometrics, and manufacturing sectors, Pratt & Whitney said.

Prior to his tenure at Thales, Ashish held several leadership roles at Airbus and the Tata-Sikorsky joint venture.