Chairman & Managing Director Saab India Technologies Pvt Ltd

Ola Rignell joined Saab in India in August 2018 as Chairman & Managing Director. Prior to this, he was heading Saab’s operations in Malaysia. Before that, he was Director of Business Development, Aviation Training, at Support & Services, Saab AB.

Before joining Saab in 1995, he spent eleven years working for the Swedish Air Force as an operational pilot on the Viggen fighter aircraft holding different positions within flight operations. Ola has been involved in the Gripen program, responsible for testing of weapons, avionics and HMI. He was the Project pilot on the two-seated version of Gripen B and flew the initial flights. He was also responsible for the re-engine program for the Swedish Air Force trainer, the Saab 105. He was Saab project pilot in the joint program Ground Collisions Avoidance System/GCAS, working together with personnel from the Swedish Air Force, FMV, USAF, NASA and Lockheed Martin. Ola has been actively engaged in flight tests of Flutter, HQ and Engine Performance tests on the different versions of Gripen A/B and C/D. He was also the Chief Test Pilot, flying for military aircrafts at Saab and was responsible for the project leading to Saab receiving a full authorization in accordance with the Rules of Military Aviation/RML. Ola has worked as Director for Flight Test and Verification at Aeronautics, Saab AB, where he was responsible for all military flight test activities regarding aircraft and airborne vehicles including unmanned vehicles stated by the Swedish Rules of Military Aviation / RML. He was accountable for two approvals, Flight Operations and Aircraft Maintenance, authorized by the Flight Safety Inspector of the armed forces. During the period 2013 to 2016 Ola Rignell was the Director Flight Operations, Support & Services, Saab AB. He was the Accountable manager (AM) for all civil flight operations including Flight test, Private Operations, Aerial work and Commercial operations according to the Air Operator Certificate (AOC).

Ola is a member and fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He has logged more than 2500 hours on different Swedish military jets such as Draken, Viggen and Gripen but also on different foreign a/c such as the F-16, Tornado, Hawk and Harrier. Within civil/commercial flight operations, Ola has logged more than 1500FH. He holds a Commercial Pilot License/CPL and has been rated on single/multi engine aircrafts such as the PA172, BE-55, BE- 90/99/100/200 and Gulfstream G550.