NE BUSINESS BUREAU
CHENNAI, MAY 8
In a significant administrative development for Southern Railway, senior Indian Railways Personnel Service (IRPS) officer A Narayanan assumed charge as the new Principal Chief Personnel Officer (PCPO) on Thursday.
- 1998-batch IRPS officer brings vast administrative, recruitment and industrial relations experience
- Globally trained railway professional to steer Southern Railway’s human resource and personnel initiatives
- IIM Bangalore alumnus succeeds K. Harikrishnan as top personnel officer of Southern Railway
Prior to taking over the top personnel management role, A. Narayanan served as Chief Personnel Officer/Admin of Southern Railway and played a key role in handling major administrative and workforce-related initiatives across the zone.
A 1998-batch IRPS officer, Narayanan began his railway career as Assistant Personnel Officer at Lumding Division of Northeast Frontier Railway in Assam and steadily rose through the ranks with a wide range of operational and administrative assignments.
Over the years, he has held several crucial positions including Senior Divisional Personnel Officer at Tinsukia Division of Northeast Frontier Railway, Senior Divisional Personnel Officer at Chennai Division of Southern Railway, Deputy Chief Personnel Officer/Gazetted, Deputy Chief Personnel Officer/Construction at Egmore, Member Secretary of Railway Recruitment Board Chennai, and Chief Personnel Officer/Industrial Relations.
Known for his strong administrative acumen and global exposure in railway management, Narayanan has undergone advanced professional and leadership programmes at premier institutions including the National Academy of Indian Railways in Vadodara, XLRI Xavier School of Management, Syracuse University, Southwest Jiaotong University, INSEAD and the ICLIF Leadership and Governance Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
An academic achiever, he holds a postgraduate degree in Mathematics along with an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.
Railway officials said his rich experience in personnel administration, industrial relations and recruitment management is expected to strengthen Southern Railway’s human resource initiatives and employee engagement mechanisms in the coming years.
A. Narayanan succeeds K Harikrishnan, who superannuated in March 2026.
