Kerala’s future-forward upskilling ecosystem

Dr. Usha Titus joined the Kerala cadre of the Indian Administrative Service in 1993 after completing her MBBS from CMC Vellore and MD in General Medicine. She served as the District Collector of Palakkad and Kozhikode where she was the first lady to hold charge. She was also the Secretary-in-charge of the Departments of Medical Education, Social Welfare, Non-Resident Keralite Affairs, Environment and Education.

She has served as the Registrar of IIT Madras and as the Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Technological University. In 2010, she was deputed to the Government of India as the Joint Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance where she handled the Multilateral Relations Division and contributed to the G20 negotiations between 2010 and 2015. The Government of Kerala appointed her as the Chairperson and Managing Director of ASAP Kerala in February 2021.

Mrs. Preethy Leonold joined ASAP Kerala in 2023 on deputation from the Finance Department, Government Secretariat. With over 13 years of experience within the Finance Department and 7 years as Finance Officer, Mrs. Preethy Leonold has experience in various fields such as General Education, Public Works, Power and Agriculture. In 2022, Mrs. Preethy was promoted to the cadre of Deputy Secretary and was the Finance Officer of the Legal Metrology Department, from where she was deputed to ASAP Kerala as Head Finance.

Mr. Vigil Kumar VV was deputed to ASAP Kerala in 2018. With 15 years of an expansive body of work in academia, industrial training and consultancy, Mr. Vigil Kumar VV works as an Associate Professor in Information Technology at the Government Engineering College, Idukki. He completed his Bachelor of Technology from MS University and Masters in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University.

Mr. IP Laiju joined ASAP Kerala as a Consultant (Training), with an extensive body of work of 25 years in the Electric Power Industry. He has worked in the fields of electricity, power system protection relays, substation automation and smart grid projects, to name a few, for the Governments of India and Kerala, apart from working in the Middle-East.

He served in the capacity of an authorised Consultant for GE (General Electric Co)/ALSTOM Grid for digital substations, protection & automation; and Smart Grid solutions for KSEB Industries in Kerala. He was also a part-time Consultant to Aluminium Industries Ltd., Relays division, Trivandrum, where he led R&D engineers in developing the latest technology, Numerical IEDs and Smart Grid products for the Indian market. Mr Laiju is currently an MIE member of The Institution of Engineers (IEI), and has contributed as an active member of the International GCC-CIGRE Committee and CIGRE India. He held the position of ‘AREVA T&D Technical Institute manager’ in Dubai, and has gained professional expertise with MNCs like GE (General Electric), ABB AUTOMATION CO, AVK-SEG, ALIND; Government of India Organisation like IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research) and Kerala Government PSU - Travancore Titanium Products Ltd., etc. Mr Laiju is also well-versed with international standards of quality process methodologies under ISO 9001-2008.

Lt Cdr Sajith Kumar EV (retd) joined ASAP Kerala as a Consultant (Quality & Projects) after 10 years of service as a Short Service Commissioned Officer in the Indian Navy. He also served as a Group Head in KITCO Ltd for over eight years. His professional expertise is in design, engineering, and contract management responsibilities as part of India’s indigenous submarine programmes.

As a Group Head at KITCO, Lt Cdr Kumar was in charge of overseeing consultancy services for the commissioning of education, healthcare, industrial infrastructure projects and business development activities.

Commander Vinod Sankar joined ASAP Kerala in 2021. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1988. In his 21 years of naval career, Cdr Sankar held appointments associated with the design and fabrication of two famed projects of the Indian Navy – ATV Programme (First indigenous Nuclear Submarine) and ADS Programme (First indigenous Aircraft Carrier). He has also sailed onboard Naval Warships INS RANA and INS JAMUNA as a Chief Engineer Officer.

Following his voluntary retirement from the Navy in 2009, he worked as an AGM (Commercial) at M/s Tebma Shipyards, Karnataka; General Manager (Operations) at M/s Brahmos Aerospace, Trivandrum; and Deputy Director of Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction (IIIC) in Kollam, Kerala. 

A Mechanical Engineer from NIT Calicut, Cdr Sankar completed his ME (Mechanical - Advanced Marine Engineering) from Poona University and MBA (International Business) from Pondicherry University. He has also undergone advanced submarine design training at “RUBIN’, St Petersburg, Russia; and training in Missile Canister manufacturing technology from 'Rafael’, Israel.

Dr. James TG joined ASAP Kerala as the Head of Curriculum Development & Accreditation. With over 30 years of academic and administrative experience, Dr. James TG also has industry experience working at Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd., O/E/N Cochin and United Electrical Industries, Kollam. Dr. James was the Joint Director (Examinations) at APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU), Thiruvananthapuram, and has served as faculty at prominent Government Engineering Colleges, including CET. 

As  a  B.Tech and M.Tech  holder from the College of  Engineering, Trivandrum,  Dr. James holds a Ph.D from NIT Calicut and a Diploma in Electronics. He has served as a Professor in ECE at CET for more than 20 years and has a total of 17 years of experience in industry and polytechnic colleges. As an avid learner and teacher, Dr. James has completed various courses and attended workshops related to teaching, learning, and accreditation.

Mr. Kaushal Jha joined ASAP Kerala in 2025, bringing extensive experience in strategic growth, product management, and enterprise relations. A proven leader, he has driven significant growth and operational excellence through successful product launches and enhanced stakeholder engagement across industries and sectors.

With an MBA from IIM Calcutta and a B.Tech from IIT Delhi, Mr. Jha combines data-driven strategies with impactful leadership, fostering innovation and efficiency in every initiative he undertakes.

Mr. Padmakumar B. joined ASAP Kerala in 2019 on deputation from Kerala State Housing Housing Board as the Chief Engineer. With over 32 years of experience in civil engineering, Mr. Padmakumar has worked with the Government of India, Government of Kerala, and with the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of civil engineering. Mr. Padmakumar’s area of expertise lies in PEB, among other areas pertaining to construction, and has played an instrumental role in the construction of the CSPs. Since March 2023, Mr. Padmakumar has been the Consultant Chief Engineer for ASAP Kerala.