Raymond Limited has announced the appointment of Bhanu Prakash Srivastava as Chief Executive Officer – Defence, marking a significant step in its ambition to build a future-ready, technology-led defence platform, Economic Times reported.

Srivastava is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi. He brings with him 39 years of experience in advancing India’s defence manufacturing and technology capabilities, having held leadership roles across operations, research and development, marketing, naval systems and strategic program execution.

His career spans nearly four decades at Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), where he played a pivotal role in defence technologies, large-scale programme execution and institution building.

At Raymond, he will define the strategic vision, operational roadmap and growth agenda for the defence business, as the company makes strategic investments to develop advanced capabilities in India.

The new CEO will focus on shaping and executing Raymond’s long-term defence strategy. His mandate includes evolving the company’s engineering capabilities from precision manufacturing into higher-value defence electronics, software, systems integration and adjacent aerospace and automotive technologies.

Gautam Hari Singhania, Chairman and Managing Director of Raymond Limited, stated that India’s defence sector is entering a defining phase of growth, innovation and self-reliance. He emphasised that Srivastava’s exceptional leadership, deep understanding of complex defence programmes and proven track record of building high-performance organisations make him the ideal leader to spearhead Raymond’s defence journey.

Raymond aims to establish itself as a trusted private-sector partner in India’s defence ecosystem. Srivastava expressed his enthusiasm for the role, highlighting the company’s legacy of manufacturing excellence, quality and innovation.

He noted that the opportunities emerging from India’s focus on indigenous defence capabilities are unprecedented, and he looks forward to building differentiated technology-led solutions, developing strategic partnerships and creating a globally competitive defence business.

During his tenure as Chairman and Managing Director of BEL, Srivastava tripled the company’s market capitalisation from ₹51,000 crore to ₹1.5 lakh crore. He secured over ₹55,000 crore in new orders and launched more than 100 products while strengthening research and development. He also led mission-critical programmes across radar, naval and sonar systems, missiles, electronic warfare and tactical communications.

His leadership championed indigenisation and established artificial intelligence incubation centres to advance India’s defence ecosystem.

This appointment signals Raymond’s serious intent to diversify into defence and leverage Srivastava’s expertise to position itself as a major player in India’s evolving defence industry.

Agencies