Honeywell Automation India has appointed Dr. Ganesh Natarajan as an Independent Director (Non-Executive) and Chairman of its Board of Directors, with effect from March 8, 2021.

Ashish Gaikwad, Managing Director, HAIL, says, "Dr. Ganesh Natarajan brings with him a rich and varied experience as a seasoned CEO, a tech entrepreneur, and an industry thought leader. We look forward to his guidance and inputs to our strategic vision to become a software industrial company as we steer the company through an ambitious and aggressive growth path. We are also grateful to Mr. Suresh Senapaty for his valuable contribution to HAIL over the last five years. His legacy of good governance and controls will continue to serve us well."

As Chairman of Board of Directors, Dr. Ganesh would provide guidance to HAIL's management team on the company's overall strategy, business, and financial matters. He would also provide direction and Board support for strong corporate governance.

Dr. Ganesh would be succeeding Suresh Senapaty, who is completing five-year tenure as Independent Director and Chairman of HAIL as of March 7, 2021. Suresh has revealed his desire not to seek reappointment as Independent Director of the company for the second term due to his personal commitments. Accordingly, his tenure as Director of the company would come to an end on March 7, 2021.

Dr. Ganesh has more than 30 years of industry experience, that include 25 years as CEO for Aptech and Zensar Technologies. He was a serial entrepreneur, having founded 5F World, a platform for digital start-ups, skills, and social ventures, and he also co-founded Global Talent Track, Skills Alpha, and Lighthouse Communities Foundation. He further co-founded two Indo-U.S. joint ventures, namely Kalzoom Advisors and the Center for AI and Advanced Analytics.
Dr. Ganesh has completed his master's in Industrial Engineering from NITIE Mumbai, Ph.D. from IIT Bombay, and Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan states, "I have always been keenly interested in the role of digital technologies in re-engineering processes for the corporate and social sectors. I am excited to be part of Honeywell, a software-industrial leader that has been driving India's move towards Industry 4.0."

HAIL was established in 1984 with its manufacturing, design, and engineering facilities located in Pune. Presently, this Fortune India 500 company, has more than 3,000 employees spread across Pune, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Gurgaon, Kolkata, and Jamshedpur.