Rear Admiral Chandrasekharan Raghuram, VSM (Retd), assumed charge as Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam on July 2.
Rear Admiral Raghuram was commissioned into the Indian Navy on November 10, 1989. In a career spanning more than three and a half decades, he served in naval engineering, ship maintenance, strategic planning, and leadership roles at several operational and command appointments, and was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2017.
He is an alumnus of the Naval College of Engineering, Lonavala, Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, the Naval War College, and the National Defence College. His career has included afloat operations, equipment life cycle support, research and development, warship design, combat system integration, and instructional postings. He served on board INS Gomati and INS Trishul, having been part of the commissioning crew of the latter, and worked at the Naval Dockyard, the Afloat Support Team for Talwar-class ships, and the Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment.
His previous appointments include Commanding Officer of INS Valsura, Principal Director Electrical Engineering at Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy), Command Electrical Officer at Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, and Chief Staff Officer (Technical) at Headquarters, Western Naval Command. He also held senior positions at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, and Naval Headquarters. He took charge at HSL from the post of Assistant Chief of Materiel, where he handled maintenance of key naval platforms.
As CMD, Rear Admiral Raghuram is tasked with strengthening HSL’s position as a strategic defence shipyard, in keeping with India’s push for self-reliance in maritime defence.
Hindustan Shipyard Limited holds the distinction of being one of the oldest shipyards in the country, giving it institutional depth that few other yards in India can claim. It operates as a Greenfield Miniratna Central Public Sector Undertaking, a category reserved for public enterprises that have demonstrated consistent operational strength and are granted greater financial and managerial autonomy to pursue growth and modernisation.Â
Among its most strategically significant capabilities is its work in submarine construction and repair, an area that places HSL at the centre of India’s underwater defence preparedness and its long-term ambitions for self-reliance in this highly specialised segment of shipbuilding. The yard has also built specialised platforms such as Diving Support Vessels, reflecting a diversified engineering capability that extends beyond conventional shipbuilding into complex, mission-specific vessels.Â
Perhaps most notably, HSL has, in recent years, executed a marked financial turnaround, transforming from a loss-making enterprise into a profit-making one, a shift that reflects improved operational efficiency, stronger order execution, and a more disciplined management approach, and one that positions the shipyard on a considerably stronger footing as it takes on a new chapter under its incoming leadership.
