Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has named Ashish Saraf as Vice President and Country Head for its operations in India. In his new role, Saraf becomes the company's most senior representative in the country, responsible for overseeing strategic growth and transformation initiatives. His leadership will span key areas including engineering, supply chain management, customer service, operations and digital transformation.
Saraf brings with him over two decades of experience in the industry and consulting. Before joining Pratt & Whitney, he was Country Director and Chairman of Thales India, where he oversaw all aspects of the business, including its activities in aerospace, defence, biometrics, cybersecurity and its Global Capability Centre. His previous roles also include leadership positions at Airbus and the Tata-Sikorsky joint venture. Additionally, he has a consulting background with Deloitte, where he specialised in strategy, operations and supply chain management across the U.S. and Europe.
Pratt & Whitney's Chief Digital Officer, Satheeshkumar Kumarasingam, praised the appointment, stating that Saraf's deep expertise in business transformation, profit and loss management, and strategic partnerships will support the company's next stage of expansion in India. Kumarasingam also highlighted the company's significant investment of over US$40 million in the past four years, aimed at enhancing its Indian engineering, supply chain, digital and aftermarket capabilities.
The company has a longstanding presence in India, having supported the country's aerospace sector for more than 70 years. With a workforce of over 800 employees in India today, Pratt & Whitney powers nearly 600 aircraft across commercial, regional, and military aviation segments. These include engines for the A320neo family, ATR 72s, and military platforms such as the C-295s and C-17 Globemaster IIIs operated by the Indian Air Force.
