G. Madhavan Nair is the former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation. He was born on 31 October 1943 in Kulasekharam, Kanyakumari, India. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Engineering (1966) from College of Engineering, Trivandrum, of the University of Kerala with specialization in Electronics & Communication Engineering. After his graduation, Nair attended a training program at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) Training School, Mumbai. Madhavan Nair started his career in the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in 1967. Since then, he has held various positions posting illustrious milestones on his way. He rose to the position of Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in 1999 and finally to the position of Chairman ISRO in 2003.

During his tenure of six years as Chairman, ISRO/Secretary, DOS, 25 successful missions were accomplished. During his tenure as Chairman, he has taken initiatives towards development of futuristic technologies to enhance the space systems capabilities as well as to reduce the cost of access to space. The application programmes such as tele-education and telemedicine developed by ISRO could meet the needs of the society at large. The Village Resource Centres established through satellite connectivity, which enabled farmers to get information on important aspects like land use/land cover, soil and ground water prospects, farming system, action plans based on weather, community specific advice on soil and water conservation, etc, was yet another move to improve the quality of life of the people in the rural areas. He is a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, Astronautical Society of India, National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian Society for Non-Destruction Testing (ISNT)and Aeronautical Society of India, and member of the System Society of India, The nation honoured him with Padma Vibhushan in 2009 and Padma Bhushan in 1998. Dr Madhavan Nair has several other awards and honours to his credit.