Ambrish Tripathi has assumed charge as Director (Human Resources) at Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a board-level role in which he will steer the defence PSU’s human resource strategy, leadership development, industrial relations, talent management and organisational transformation across its nationwide operations. He took charge on 13 August 2026 and will serve until his superannuation on 31 December 2028.
Tripathi is a career BEL executive. He joined the company in 1991 as a Research and Development Engineer and has spent more than 33 years there, working across production, material management, marketing and information systems. From 1 January 2024 until his elevation to the board, he served as General Manager and Unit Head of BEL’s Kotdwar unit, where he led the HR function and took the unit to a turnover milestone of ₹1,000 crore. He also addressed the challenge of retaining skilled manpower at the remotely located Kotdwar site.
His earlier work spans several of BEL’s flagship efforts. He played an instrumental role in implementing SAP across the company and led the rollout of BEL’s first File Lifecycle Management system. He received a Ministry of Home Affairs award for an IT process designed to prevent corruption. Tripathi contributed to major defence programmes including IACCS, Sanjay (BSS), Akashteer and the indigenous NC3I, and supported the company’s international and civilian business, including exports of Coastal Surveillance Systems to Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius, India’s first indigenous Air Traffic Management Automation system, and KAVACH 4.0 for Indian Railways.
The Public Enterprises Selection Board selected him for the director post, recommending him on 14 May 2026 from a field of 11 candidates drawn from BEL, Indian Oil Corporation, NTPC and other public sector undertakings. The post had fallen vacant on 1 April 2026 following the superannuation of Nagarajan Vikraman. The Ministry of Defence issued the appointment order on 12 August 2026, and BEL’s board approved it with effect from 13 August 2026.
Tripathi holds a BE from the National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, and an Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Management with a specialisation in Human Resources from Symbiosis, Pune. He is a Project Management Professional (PMP) certified by PMI, USA. Outlining his vision for taking charge, Tripathi said he aims to transform HR from an administrative function into a proactive strategic partner driving growth, innovation and employee excellence, with a focus on building a future-ready, agile and ethical workforce supported by advanced HR technology.
