Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai, Ph. D, D.Sc
(Padma Bhushan Awardee)
President and Chairman, Managing Committee
IPMA Level A (Certified Projects Director)
Founder BrahMos Aerospace, Former Chief Controller R&D, DRDO
Hon’ Professor IIT(Delhi)
Visiting Professor IISc, Bangalore
Hon’ Distinguished Professor ISRO, Bangalore
DRDO, Dr. DS Kothari Chair (Research and Innovation), IIT Madras
Dr. Pillai has worked in ISRO and DRDO for the last 40 years under the great
visionary leaders Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Satish Dhawan and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
He is 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. In DRDO Dr. Pillai
networked 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.
Well-known as a defence technologist in the world, Dr. Pillai has been recognized by
many prestigious engineering and management institutions with Fellowships. He has
received many Honorary Doctorates from Twelve reputed Universities of India and
Russia. The Moscow University of “Security, Defence and Law Enforcement” honoured
Dr. Pillai with the Order of Peter the Great and the Academician of the University.
Dr. Pillai has published many papers in the international and national journals and
conferences. Dr. Pillai has written many books including The Success Mantras
of BrahMos (The Path Unexplored), Revolution in Leadership, Nano Science and
Nano Technology for Engineering. He is the co-author with Dr. Kalam for
the books (a) Envisioning an Empowered Nationand (b)’ Thoughts for Change –
we can do it’. Dr. Pillai is a recipient of various prestigious awards
including Technology Leadership Award, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Research Award,
Organization for Industrial, Spiritual & Cultural Advancement International Award
from Japan, Raja Rammohan Puraskar, Lokamanya Tilak Award, Performance Excellence
Award from Institution of Industrial Engineering, and the most importantly
Padma Shri (2002) & Padma Bhushan (2013) by the Govt. of India for
his contribution to Aerospace and Missile Technologies and “ORDER OF
FRIENDSHIP” by the Govt. of Russian Federation, the highest Russian
Award for the foreign citizens
