Boeing Honcho front-runner for NSIL chief post, could be first outsider

BENGALURU: India’s space PSU NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) may soon be headed by a private sector honcho with the selection process for the chairman and managing director (CMD) post having entered the final leg.

Sources confirmed to TOI that the next CMD of the Space PSU is expected to be from the private sector with a senior person from US aerospace major Boeing as the front-runner. This will be the first time a non-DoS (Department of Space) person would head Isro’s commercial arm.

Since its incorporation in March 2019, NSIL has been headed by Isro insiders — Suma Devaki Ram, G Narayanan, Radhakrishnan Durairaj and M Mohan — either on deputation or formal appointment. NSIL’s predecessor, Antrix Corporation, DoS’ first commercial arm established in Sept 1992, has also always had DoS insiders heading it. Antrix is now nearly defunct.

The DoS had, through a vacancy circular issued on Aug 11, 2025, invited applications for the NSIL CMD post. As per the document reviewed by TOI, it had set Sept 11, 2025 as the last date for submission of applications.

The eligibility conditions were explicitly open for recruitment from the private sector as well. The circular said applications were invited from candidates working in the Central govt, including the armed forces and All India Services, CPSEs, State PSUs and private sector companies.

“The Search-cum-Selection Committee (SCSC) has shortlisted at least five persons for the positions, including a few DoS insiders. A final decision and order on the appointment is yet to be formalised,” one source said.

Another source, confirming that a formal order was expected soon, said the person occupies an important position at Boeing India, before which he had worked with European aerospace major Airbus. “Before moving to the private sector, he had also worked with DRDO and has a long career that spans both R&D and business operations,” the source said.

This is not the first time DoS is trying to get a private industry person to head NSIL. In Jan 2022, DoS, for the first time, opened up the CMD’s post to those from the private sector.

The Search-cum-Selection Committee (SCSC) was empowered to include names of people who don’t apply and also relax eligibility criteria to accommodate candidates it feels standout for the position. Then NSIL CMD Radhakrishnan D, who was operating as an interim head, was also eligible to apply and the committee eventually picked him for the post.

The NSIL CMD’s position has remained vacant since the end of March this year, after M Mohan superannuated. If the Boeing honcho is appointed, he will become the first from the private sector to head an operational wing of the DoS that is directly involved in space-related operations.

While Pawan Goenka was the first, and so far only non-DoS person to head a wing under DoS, his position is with Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), which is a regulator-cum-promoter and not an operational wing of the department.

A year after NSIL was incorporated, the Govt, in 2020, enhanced its role and scope. Its present mandate broadly covers: Owning satellites for Earth observation (EO) and communication applications; providing space-based EO and communication services; building satellites and launching them as per demand; building launch vehicles through Indian industry and launch as per requirements; providing launch services and technology transfer to Indian industry.