Thales India appoints Ankur Kanaglekar as vice-president

Thales has appointed Ankur Kanaglekar as the vice president for its India operations. This appointment will help the French firm expand its footprint, strengthen local partnerships, and accelerate innovation. 

In this role, Kanaglekar will oversee the company’s strategy and operations in India, focusing on scaling up industrial collaboration, reinforcing local innovation and engineering capabilities, and delivering advanced solutions across defence, aerospace, and cyber and digital markets.

An industry veteran, Kanaglekar brings in 25 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry and consulting. In his previous stint, he spent 14 years at Boeing in India, most recently as Executive Director, where he spearheaded global co-development and co-production initiatives for defence platforms, led large sales campaigns, and shaped several strategic growth initiatives. 

Earlier, as an Engagement Manager at PRTM Management Consulting (now part of PwC), he advised Fortune 500 clients on mergers, acquisitions, operations, and go-to-market strategies in aerospace, automotive, and industrial sectors.
 
With his proven leadership and deep understanding of the Indian market, we aim to further enhance our support of the country’s ambitious self-reliance objectives, co-develop cutting-edge solutions, and nurture local talent. We remain deeply committed to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision and to fostering enduring partnerships across the ecosystem,” said Pascale Sourisse, President & CEO, Thales International.

Kanaglekar holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pune University, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, USA, and a Master of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

“I look forward to working closely with our partners, teams, and other stakeholders to accelerate growth, deepen localisation, and make a meaningful contribution to nation building, supporting India’s technological ambitions and self-reliance journey,” said Kanaglekar.