Siddharth Balachandran

Siddharth Balachandran is the Head of Airbus Innovation Center for India & South Asia at Airbus. Here are some key details about his background and role:

Professional Experience

• Currently serves as Head of Airbus Innovation Center - India & South Asia since February 2023.1

• Previously held roles at Airbus including:

  • Head of Scale - India & South Asia (Nov 2021 - Feb 2023)
  • Airbus BizLab Leader - India (Jul 2016 - Nov 2021)1

• Prior to Airbus, he worked as:

  • Trade Advisor for the French Trade Commission (2013-2016)
  • Co-founder of Global Ants Business Solutions (2010-2013)
  • Relationship Manager at Akamai Technologies (2009-2011)1

Role at Airbus

As Head of Innovation Center, Balachandran leads Airbus's innovation efforts in India and South Asia. Some of his key responsibilities include:

• Overseeing Airbus BizLab, the company's aerospace business accelerator in Bengaluru2
• Mentoring and supporting aviation startups through accelerator programs2
• Coordinating with global Airbus teams to develop proofs of concept with startups3
• Fostering partnerships between Airbus and the startup ecosystem in India4

Background

• Has an MBA from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University1
• Studied at Lycée Français de Pondichéry, a French international school1
• Speaks English, French, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil1

Balachandran has been with Airbus for 8 years, joining in 2016 to set up the Airbus BizLab accelerator in India.5 He has played a key role in driving Airbus's engagement with the Indian startup ecosystem and supporting the company's innovation initiatives in the region.