Palmberg takes over as Saab’s India Head

Vishal Thapar May 06, 2022

Mats Palmberg, the leader of Saab’s Gripen fighter campaign in India, has taken over as the company’s India Head.

He has succeeded Saab veteran Ola Rignell as the chairman and managing director of Saab India Technologies Private Limited.

Palmberg has a long background of working in the India market and a record of building industrial partnerships. He was instrumental in establishing Saab as a Tier One partner to Airbus and Boeing as well as forging partnerships with many other international OEMs in the aviation world.

He has held several key management positions at Saab in the marketing, strategy and industrial cooperation domains during his 38-year career with the Swedish OEM. Before taking over as India Head, he was Vice-President and Head of Marketing and Future Products.

“Mats’ appointment as Saab’s Head of Country Unit India further reinforces Saab´s long-term commitment to India. Mats already has many years of experience working across the Indian defence and aerospace industry at all levels. As the leader of Saab’s Gripen campaign in India he has been a strong advocate for Saab’s commitment to Make-in-India and Atmanirbhar Bharat,” the Swedish company announced in a statement.

Ola Rignell, Palmberg’s predecessor, has moved to a new role in the company in Sweden.

“Mats Palmberg assumes the vital role of leading Saab’s Indian business at a very important time. I salute the great work done by Ola Rignell and I welcome the continuing expertise and continuity that Mats’ appointment brings. The Indian government’s policy of encouraging Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make-in-India is fully in line with Saab’s commitment to building a strong industrial base in India. We see opportunities for further and deeper partnerships with Indian companies, to meet growing needs at a global level. With his long experience of India and deep knowledge of building industrial partnerships, Mats is well-suited to drive Saab’s goals in India; to build strong partnerships with Indian industry and meet the needs of India’s defence and security forces,” said Dean Rosenfield, Senior Vice-President, Chief Marketing Officer, Saab.