Former ISRO Chief Dr. S. Somanath Appointed To RBI Central Board; Anand Mahindra Reappointed

Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Dr. Sreedhara Panicker Somanath has been appointed as a Part-Time Non-Official Director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), effective August 20, 2026.

The RBI has also reappointed businessman Anand Mahindra as a Part-Time Non-Official Director for another four-year term.

Dr. Somanath is an aerospace engineer and space technology expert who served as ISRO Chairman, Secretary of the Department of Space and Chairman of the Space Commission from January 2022 to January 2025. During his tenure, he led the Chandrayaan-3 mission and contributed to programmes including Aditya-L1, Gaganyaan, SSLV, RLV-LEX and SpaDeX. He also played a role in developing India’s Space Vision-2047 and expanding private-sector participation in the space sector. Earlier, he headed the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. Somanath holds a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from IISc Bengaluru and a PhD from IIT Madras. He is a fellow of several engineering and aerospace institutions.

Anand Mahindra is Chairman of the Mahindra Group, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tech Mahindra. During his tenure, the group expanded across automobiles, agriculture, information technology and aerospace, including through acquisitions such as Swaraj Tractors, Satyam Computer Services, Pininfarina and Reva. He has served on the Reserve Bank of India Board and several international advisory bodies, including the UN Global Compact Board and World Bank Group’s Advisory Board for Doing Business. Mahindra received the Padma Bhushan in 2020 for his contribution to trade and industry. He also founded the Nanhi Kali programme, which supports girls’ education, and chairs the Naandi Foundation. He serves on the Founders Board of The Rise Fund, an impact investment fund, and is known for his business commentary and social media presence.