The appointment was made through a letter dated June 5, 2026, issued by the Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence, the state-run defence shipbuilder said in a regulatory filing.

Dr Zade is a 2002-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre and currently serves as Joint Secretary (Naval Systems) in the Department of Defence Production. He oversees financial, administrative and operational matters related to defence public sector shipyards and is involved in technology indigenisation and defence industrial cooperation initiatives.

He holds a doctorate in Horticulture (Post Harvest Technology) from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, an MBA from Sikkim Manipal University and an MSc in Public Management and Governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Prior to joining the IAS, Dr Zade worked as a Junior Scientist at the National Research Centre for Grapes, Pune, and also served in the Indian Audit and Accounts Service. During his administrative career, he has held key positions in the governments of Punjab, Maharashtra and the Union Territory of Chandigarh across finance, urban development, health, industry and other departments.

GRSE said Dr Zade does not hold any equity shares in the company and has no inter-se relationship with any other director on the board.

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers is a defence public sector shipyard under the Ministry of Defence. It was the first Indian shipyard to build a warship for the Indian Navy and has since delivered over 800 platforms, including 118 warships for domestic and international clients. The company operates four shipyards and has diversified into engineering products such as prefabricated bridges and marine systems.

The company’s standalone net profit surged 24.1% to Rs 303.20 crore in Q4 FY26, compared with Rs 244.25 crore in Q4 FY25. Revenue from operations jumped 29.1% YoY to Rs 2,119.21 crore during the quarter ended 31 March 2026.

The scrip shed 0.80% to Rs 2,654.65 on the BSE.