Thales appoints Ankur Kanaglekar as Vice-President India

With over 25 years of experience in the aerospace and defence industry and consulting, Ankur brings a wealth of expertise in driving strategic growth, fostering partnerships, and leading high-stakes initiatives.

Ankur will lead Thales’s development in India, acrosswide-ranging sectors from Aerospace and Defence to Cyber & Digital, reinforcing the company’s commitment to nation building and the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.

Thales announces appointment of Ankur Kanaglekaras Vice President for India, with effect from September 10, 2025. This strategic appointment underlines Thales’ commitment to expanding its footprint, strengthening local partnerships and accelerating innovation in support of the Aatmanirbhar Bharatvision.

In his role, Ankur will oversee Thales’ 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.

Withover 25years of experience in the aerospace and defence industry and consulting, Ankur brings a wealth of expertise in driving strategic growth, fostering partnerships, and leading high-stakes initiatives. Prior to joining Thales, Ankur Kanaglekar spent 14 years at Boeing in India, most recently as Executive Director, where he spearheaded global co-developmentand co-production initiatives for defence platforms, led large sales campaigns, and shaped several strategic growth initiatives. His leadership in forging partnerships with Indian public and private sector organisations, supporting the Make in India initiative, has been instrumental in advancing defence localisation. 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.

“I am pleased to welcome Ankur Kanaglekar to Thales. 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 Bharatvision and to fostering enduring partnerships across

The ecosystem.”Pascale Sourisse, President & CEO,ThalesInternational.

“India is at the heart of Thales’ global strategy, and I am truly honoured to have this opportunity to leadour operations at such a pivotal time. 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.” Ankur Kanaglekar, Vice-President, India, Thales.

Ankur 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.

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