New Delhi: Ashok Nayak, who has led Light Combat Aircraft and other key projects, will take over as the new chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) from 1 April succeeding Ashok K Baweja, who is retiring Tuesday.

On the eve of taking over his new assignment, Nayak said that HAL must “grab” all opportunities to stay atop the global aerospace industry.

“With the offset opportunity and massive new programmes coming up, HAL must find ways and means to capture all these opportunities for a safe and secure future. We have made an impact in the international market and will now have to focus on our exports further to stay ahead in the race”, he said.

Nayak, HAL’s 15th chairman, is a mechanical engineer from Bangalore university and joined the premier aeronautical agency as a management trainee in 1973.

In his career spanning over three decades, Nayak has held key positions in the fields of manufacturing, quality assurance, production, planning, customer services and export including a stint as general manager of aerospace division in 2004 where he looked after the manufacturing of GSLV Mk. III structural assemblies and tankages.

As general manager of HAL’s aircraft division in 2006, Nayak gave a fillip to concurrent engineering and upgrade of Jaguar aircraft.

In July 2007, as the managing director of company’s Bangalore Complex, Nayak was given the responsibility of leading seven vital divisions of the company including fleet serviceability and multiple projects like the Hawk, IJT and LCA aircraft.