Group Captain Anand Krishna (Retd) – Andy – served for 31 years as an Administrative Officer with specialization in Air Traffic Services, attaining the highest rating of Category ‘A’ controller and was among the youngest to have achieved that distinction. His two instructional tenures including one as a Chief Instructor at the Air Traffic Control Officers Training Establishment, saw the centre being adjudged as a C of E by the then Chief of the Air Staff. Andy has also been an ATC Examiner for 14-years. Currently, he leads the department tasked with ensuring accurate and time bound services compiling aerodrome/ ATS route data through AIP and other authorized sources; route structuring; filing of flight plans and obtaining clearances. The team also provides NOTAM services and issues warnings related to critical information affecting operations.

Andy has Masters of Science degree from the Benares Hindu University.

Group Captain Pradeep K Nigam (Retd) is an alumnus of BITS Pilani and has served in the Indian Air Force as a commissioned officer for 36 years as an Aviation Meteorologist. Pradeep was a participant at the International Monsoon Experiment (MONEX 79). He took formal training in Satellite Meteorology in the 1980s, along with computer programming, completing the Senior Forecaster’s Course in 1989. He leads the Meteorological team, which acquires, validates and calibrates weather data from multiple global sources, which feed into the parent ARMS^® system with uninterrupted supply of accurate and near real-time weather information, that is critical to the quality of output by several sub systems.

A S Gopinath – Gopi – brings 35 years of experience in aviation to LAMINAAR. Between joining Air India (AI) as a Technical Officer in 1982 and retiring in 2010 as a General Manager Operations(Tech), his 27 years in AI was a rich mix of program management, solution delivery, specialized services in new aircraft acquisition & induction, delivery & acceptance at OEM facility and all aspects related to Flight Operations Engineering.

With expertise in Performance Engineering for multiple aircraft types, Gopi brings sound knowledge of aircraft performance methods for Boeing (B747-200/300/400, B777, B737-800) and Airbus (A310-300, A300-B4) aircraft types. He was trained at the Boeing Flight Training Center, on, General performance, Weight & Balance, B747-400 and B737-800 aircraft Performance. He attended A310 Aircraft performance and Weight & Balance training at the Airbus Training Center in Toulouse. He completed Safety Management Systems (SMS) course conducted bv Airbus.

In AI, Gopi implemented various fuel conservation measures; initiated Re-Dispatch SOPs for A310s; conducted Performance Training for Flight Dispatchers; developed Load & Trim charts for Boeing and Airbus type aircraft. He initiated special Operations approval process and liaised with Aviation Regulators for the same.

After Air India, Gopi provided consultancy and technical services to Air Costa, Air Pegasus, Flyeasy, QuiKjet, SpiceJet, Regent Air and US-Bangla Airlines in areas of Aircraft performance, Operational documentation, Special operations approvals, Load & Trim chart development.

Gopi has a First-Class Degree in Electrical Engineering with Distinction from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India.

Group Captain R Venkataramanan (Retd) “Venky” has over three decades of experience in aviation, between the Indian Air Force as a commissioned officer and handling operations in a cargo airline. Starting his carrier in the Indian Air Force, he has gained 32 years of rich and varied experience in strategizing, developing, and implementing operational, and administrative plans at different levels.

A Qualified Navigation Instructor (QNI) and a Category ‘A’ Navigator, Venky has 4000 hours of flying to his credit in specialised roles of Aerial Reconnaissance/Survey and VVIP Air Transportation. He holds a master’s degree in business management and has undergone Management Development Programme (MDP) on Leadership from IIM-Kozhikode.

Post superannuation from IAF, Venky has worked as Deputy Head of Flight Operations in Quikjet Cargo Airlines, gaining valuable experience in management of Flight Operations, OCC functions and Flight Crew Training.

As AVP at LAMINAAR (India), Venky brings in deep knowledge and extensive experience from military and commercial aviation. As a Product Director, he heads the Flight Planning and Dispatch Sub-System (FPDS), ARMS^® on Tablet (AOT) offering EFB/ EFF/ ETL/ EDOCs solutions, and Electronic Load & Trim (ELNT) Sub-System.

Group Captain (Dr) Venkatesh Chari (Retd) is an accomplished Military Pilot and Aviation Leader with 31 years of experience, recognized for leading complex operations, driving safety and quality, and building high-performing teams. Before joining Laminaar Aviation Infotech, he was the Deputy Chief of Flight Safety & the Chief Designate at a leading Indian cargo airline, and previously held senior leadership roles in the Indian Air Force.

His expertise covers aviation operations, Safety Management Systems (SMS), accident prevention, regulatory compliance, audits, investigations, FOQA/Flight data analysis, training, and aviation manual development. He leads the innovation, development, and delivery of FDMA and SQMS subsystems, including flight data analysis, CVR management, audits, investigations, and hazard identification & risk assessment.

Dr. Venkatesh Chari holds a PhD in Management and is an IIM Bangalore alumnus. He has IATA (Canada) certifications in SMS and Accident Investigation, and master’s degrees in Aviation Law, Air Transport Management, HR, and Military & Strategic Studies, and is a certified ISO 9001-2015 auditor. His research papers have been published in international journals.

He is a member of Academic Advisory Board: Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Ltd, Mgt Academy (HMA), Bangalore, Aviation Safety Management Society of India (ASMSI No -1021) and HAL, Aerospace Project Mgt Round Table Conference (AeroPrMan).

Vidyadhar Bal’s subject matter expertise spans Crew Administration, Training, FDTL and Crew Rostering. At LAMINAAR, he leads the team of domain experts in crew and training management and bears program management responsibility for design, development and delivery of LAMINAAR’s solutions in the domain, namely CMSS and ITMS. He played an instrumental role in creating new sub-modules like Training Planning and the Crew Bidding System.

Vidyadhar brings to LAMINAAR his 26 years of experience with Air India as an implementation and maintenance expert for crew management systems. In his last position as the Crew Management Nodal Coordinator, he was responsible for flight crew training management of the entire Boeing fleet of the national carrier. Vidyadhar holds Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from Mumbai University.

Sulabh Upadhyay is subject matter expert in Crew Roster Planning and Optimization systems.

Starting his career in operations with India’s flagship carrier, Indian Airlines in the year 1986, Sulabh retired as an Assistant General Manager of Flight Dispatch from the Air India Operations HQ in N Delhi. In his 33 years in aviation, he held various management positions in Flight Operations, with major responsibilities in the areas of Crew Scheduling and Flight Dispatch.

Sulabh was part of a strategy team at the Air India HQ for critical decision making and played a key role in the setting up of the Air India subsidiary, Alliance Air. At Air India, he also had the distinction of setting up a new crew management system. He was a part-time auditor for Quality Management Systems and remained an active participant for planning and executing missions for national causes, during his long stint with the national carrier.

A Qualified Flight Dispatcher (B737-200 and A-300, 330, 320) with a Radio Telephony certificate, Sulabh is a mathematics graduate from Delhi University.