NewSpace India - Stellar Voices with Dr. Sivathanu Pillai at NUMA Bangalore

We are starting a NewSpace India (www.newspaceindia.com) curated talk series 'Stellar Voices' that will provide an insightful analysis of the evolution of space science, technology/applications, entrepreneurship and policies in India. The talk series will invite leaders in the space sector of India who have pushed the boundaries in expanding the landscape of capacity built up in the country over the past five decades in creating a strong ecosystem in India for today's NewSpace.

The talk series will have a format of the speaker using personal memories (pictures/figures/moments) to provide an overview of their efforts and share insights of the progress made through their career within the country. The 45 min talk will be followed by an open house for participants to involve in a discussion to personally connect with the speaker and involve themselves in a cognisant exchange.

Speaker Profile - Dr. Sivathanu Pillai

Born on 15 July 1947, Dr. Pillai graduated in Electrical Engineering from Madras University, underwent Management Programme at Harvard Business School, and obtained PhD from Pune University and D.Sc from Tumkur University. Dr. Pillai’s four decades of experience in ISRO and DRDO under the great visionary leaders Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Satish Dhawan and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam made him a Technology Leader in the field of launch vehicles and guided missiles. His contributions to the successful development of SLV-3 as a core team member and evolution of PSLV configuration for ISRO have been remarkable.

Dr. Pillai’s skills in networking multiple institutions for the development of critical missile technologies overcoming denial regimes enabled realization of Agni, Prithvi, Nag and Akash missiles under the IGMDP as its Programme Director. BrahMos Aerospace is a unique Joint Venture, first of its kind between India and Russia to design, develop, produce and market the most advanced supersonic cruise missile. His outstanding leadership qualities made India proud to possess the fastest, highly precise and the most potent missile BRAHMOS which is now inducted in the Indian Armed Forces. BRAHMOS is a world leader in the family of Cruise Missiles surpassing those in the developed countries. As the founder CEO&MD of the Joint Venture, Dr. Pillai is regarded as the “Father of BrahMos” which has become a role model for establishing joint ventures between the countries.