Pratt & Whitney has appointed Ashish Saraf as Vice President and Country Head for India. In this role, Saraf will lead the company’s strategic growth and transformation efforts, including its engineering, supply chain, customer service, operations, and digital transformation functions in the country.
“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 at Pratt & Whitney. “Ashish’s wealth of expertise across profit and loss management, business transformation, and strategic partnerships will bolster our next phase of growth in-country,” he added.
Saraf brings over 20 years of experience across the aerospace, space, defence, biometrics, and manufacturing sectors. Before joining Pratt & Whitney, he served as Country Director and Chairman of Thales India, overseeing businesses in aerospace, defence, biometrics, cybersecurity, and the Global Capability Center. He has also held leadership roles at Airbus and the Tata-Sikorsky joint venture, and previously worked with Deloitte Consulting on strategy, operations, and supply chain projects across the US and Europe.
The company now employs more than 800 people. Pratt & Whitney engines and auxiliary power units are currently used in nearly 600 aircraft in the country, spanning commercial, regional, and military aviation, including the A320neo family, ATR 72s, and the Indian Air Force’s C-295s and C-17 Globemaster IIIs.