Our Team

Shivayu is led and advised by people who spent their careers in military aviation, aerospace engineering and manufacturing. Between them they bring service in the Indian Air Force, engineering leadership, industrial design and law.

Executive

Gp Capt E R Rajappan (Retd)

Chairman & Managing Director

A defence, aviation and aerospace specialist with 33 years of service in the Indian Air Force and a year with the United Nations Mission in DR Congo. He was Airport Director at five IAF aerodromes, with extensive experience in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of airports, airport infrastructure and radio navigational aids. An ex-scholar of the Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi, and a life member of the Aeronautical Society of India, he is an expert on airport emergency and safety services and speaks on those subjects in India and abroad. A committed supporter of the Make in India programme, his mission is to manufacture components for the aerospace, aviation and defence industries in India to global standards, collaborating with industry leaders worldwide to bring the latest technologies into that work.

Board of Advisors

Air Vice Marshal T N Ajith Kumar (Retd)

Board of Advisors

An aeronautical engineer with 36 years of experience who held senior rank in the Indian Air Force. An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College and the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, he is an expert on aircraft systems and maintenance, with wide experience across aerospace project planning and execution, helicopter production, aircraft maintenance, supply chain management, global procurement and perspective planning. He has detailed knowledge of aerospace, aviation and defence product manufacturing and maintenance, and now advises start-up companies on incubating and growing their business.

Sumit Lakhera

Board of Advisors · B Tech, M Des (Domus Academy, Milan)

More than a decade of design, prototyping and manufacturing experience across India, the USA, Germany, Italy and China. An ideator and designer, and an expert in 3D printing and in automation for automotive, aerospace and medical products, he works in manufacturing and process engineering and is proficient with CAD/CAM software. He was named Ideator of the Year (2018) by Mercedes-Benz, was runner-up in the ARPA e-LITECAR Design Challenge in the USA, won Best Digital Manufacturing Project at TATA, presented Future Manufacturing to Daimler-Benz in Germany, and has placed among the world's top ten business plans. He has competed in product design challenges at IDEX across defence, agriculture, environment and automotive.

Sharada Jena

Board of Advisors · Aerospace & Defence Engineering Process Management

A mechanical engineer who has completed executive management programmes at IIM Bangalore and Toulouse Business School in France, specialising in aerospace and aviation. An aerospace and defence industry expert, innovator and mentor with more than 17 years of international experience serving global aerospace and locomotive OEMs, he has worked with Bombardier Aerospace, Dassault Aviation, Embraer Aerospace, Collins Aerospace, Mahindra Satyam and General Motors before beginning his own entrepreneurial journey. He specialises in product design, engineering and programme management, and has worked across the USA and Europe in multicultural, cross-functional teams. He has also served early-stage start-ups as a founding member, contributing to innovation, business development and strategy.

Wg Cdr Anil Nair (Retd)

Legal Advisor

Holds a BSc from Kerala University, an LLB from Delhi University and an LLM from National Law University, Jodhpur. He served the Indian Air Force first as a logistics officer and then for 15 years as a Judge Advocate General officer. Across a legal career spanning 15 years he has handled civil and military cases of every kind, including around 50 courts martial as Judge Advocate, and has represented the Air Force before the Supreme Court, High Courts and tribunals. He has deep knowledge of corporate law and is also a specialist in HR management.