Mr Apurva Chandra

Non-Executive Director

Mr. Apurva Chandra, appointed as Non-Executive Director on the Board of IL&FS from May 23, 2025, is a retired IAS officer from the 1988 batch of the Maharashtra cadre. With over 36 years of experience in public administration, policy formulation, and industrial development, he has held senior leadership roles across several key ministries. He superannuated from Government service on September 30, 2024. During his distinguished career, Mr. Chandra served as Secretary in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, and Ministry of Labour & Employment. He was also Director General (Acquisition) in the Ministry of Defence, Principal Secretary (Industries) in the Government of Maharashtra, and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. His international assignments include chairing the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–21), leading Committee A on policy matters at the World Health Assembly in 2024, and heading the Indian delegation for arms procurement negotiations with the USA, Russia, and Israel during his tenure at the Ministry of Defence from 2017 to 2020.

Mr. Chandra has served on the Boards of several major public sector undertakings and development bodies, including GAIL (India) Limited, Petronet LNG, Mahanagar Gas Limited, MOIL Limited, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), SICOM Limited, Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation, and the Maharashtra Maritime Board.

An alumnus of IIT Delhi, Mr. Chandra holds a Master’s degree in Structural Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He also holds a Diploma in Business Finance from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India and an Accountancy Certificate from the London School of Economics.

Throughout his career, Mr. Chandra has been recognized for driving regulatory reforms, enhancing ease of doing business, and leading initiatives to promote innovation, private sector investment, and policy advancement to support India’s national development goals.