Dr. Pawan Goenka earned his B. Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from IIT, Kanpur and Ph.D. from Cornell University, U.S.A. He is also a Graduate of Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School. He worked at General Motors R&D Centre in Detroit, U.S.A. from 1979 to 1993. Dr. Goenka joined Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. in 1993 as General Manager (R&D) and led the development of the Scorpio SUV. Dr. Goenka is credited with building a strong R&D infrastructure, a robust product portfolio for Mahindra and is widely recognised as a statesman of the Indian Auto Industry. Dr. Goenka served on the boards of several Mahindra Group Companies, both domestic and international. He retired from Mahindra as Managing Director and CEO on 1st April 2021. Dr. Goenka was appointed Chairperson of IN-SPACe in Feb 2022. Under his leadership, IN-SPACe has been at the forefront of implementing space reforms in India, facilitating private sector participation to boost the space economy and create a self-reliant, sustainable ecosystem. He was instrumental in shaping the Indian Space Policy 2023 and overseeing the release of Norms, Guidelines, and Procedures for its implementation. Dr. Goenka also played a key role in liberalizing the FDI policy for the space sector. Under his guidance, IN-SPACe launched the Decadal Vision and Strategy for the Indian space economy, along with an implementation roadmap aimed at increasing India’s share in the global space economy. The Strategy roadmap is being implemented through various initiatives by INSPACe, including fostering partnerships between Indian private space players and international agencies & foreign private players. Under Dr. Goenka’s leadership IN-SPACe is actively championing collaboration between ISRO and private players, facilitating technology transfers and handholding industry. Dr. Pawan Goenka was honoured with the Padma Shri in the ‘Trade and Industry’ category in 2025 for his contributions to the space sector and automotive industry in India. His other awards and honours include Burt L. Newkirk Award, Charles L. McCuen Achievement Award, the FISITA Medal of Honour, Automotive Man of the Year Award, CV Man of the Year Award, Param Shreshth Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award for his unparalleled contribution to the automotive industry by The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA). Dr. Goenka received the Distinguished Alumni Award from IIT Kanpur in 2004 and was also conferred with the Doctor of Science (honoris causa) in 2015. He is a Fellow of SAE International and of The Indian National Academy of Engineers and a member of National Academy of Engineers, USA. Dr. Goenka is past President of SIAM, of the Society of Automotive Engineers India, the ARAI Governing Council, and served as a Board Member of National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) and a member of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) National Council. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Madras and as an Independent Director on the Board of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Bosch Limited. Dr. Goenka is also the Chairperson of the Steering Committee for Advancing Local value-add and Exports (SCALE), an initiative under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.