Shri Rahul R is a former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the 2007 batch, who has held various important positions in the Government of India and the Government of Kerala.

As Managing Director of the Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), he was instrumental in securing the support of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, to collaborate with the Government of Kerala. This led to the establishment of the Kerala State Institute of Design (KSID) in May 2015—the first design institute under the Government of Kerala.

During his tenure as Managing Director of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC), he also played a key role in hosting the Kochi Design Week at the Bolgatty Palace in Kochi.

He has held several other significant positions, including Deputy Director (Kerala Region), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Government of India; General Manager and CMD (In-charge), Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation; State Project Director, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), Education Department; Managing Director, Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala; CEO, Kerala Maritime Board; and Secretary, Municipal Corporation of Kochi.

He also holds a B-Tech in Information Technology from University of Kerala

His areas of interest include design thinking and its potential to drive systemic change in public policy and services. He is deeply committed to using user-centered design for public action—applying empathy and creativity to deliver meaningful, community-driven impact. 

• Founding Director of NID Madhya Pradesh, established it as a nationally recognized design institution
• Area of expertise include: Design Policy framework, product design, design research, and design management.
• Member in: CII’s National Committee on Design, CII MP’s National Committee on Education, ASSOCHAM’s National Council on Education, and the Indian Design Council, among others.

• Former Head of Design at Vedatya Institute and Dean-School of Design at Sushant University, focusing on career development, higher education, and bridging academic learning with industry-driven real-world applications.
• Area of expertise include: Design thinking, Design Methodologies
• Member in : Board of Studies, NID, MP

• Collaborated with: Nickelodeon, Disney, and Paramount Pictures in character development, co-production, co-directions and story boarding
• Worked in Koi… Mil Gaya and Boys which are the key milestones in his career
• Specialized in advanced animation and visual effects integration in Indian cinema
• Received National and Asian Awards for Best Animation and Visual Effects for these films

• Founding Partner of Spread Design and Co-founder of Design Barn (India’s first independent design centre) and Design Open, which integrates with innovations in design, collaboration, and education.
• Board member at WDO, Forge Incubator, and India Design Council.
• Awarded as gamechanger by Metropolis Magazine, USA for the project Dream:in (UN-recognized), an open innovation and design research project
• Worked as Design Director for Commonwealth Games 2010.
• Worked with organisations like Future Group, Manipal, and Cochin International Airport for branding

• Post Graduate diploma holder from NID, Ahmedabad
• Worked with URMUL TRUST in Rajasthan supporting rural artisans.
• Worked with Fab India as Designer and Kerala Production Coordinator
• Over 30 years of experience in design field
• Served as the Executive Director of the Kerala State Institute of Design, (KSID), the only fully state‑owned design institute in Kerala.
• Interests: craft development, weavers training in scientific dyeing

• A Medical Doctor turned Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer of the 1995 batch, of the Tamil Nadu cadre. He is an alumnus of the Government Medical College, Trivandrum.
• He is also a Chevening Gurukul Scholar from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an LKY Fellow and MPM Degree holder from the National University of Singapore and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
• While working in Governmetn of Kerala in the rank of Principal Secretary and CMD, Information Kerala Mission , he implemenetd KSMART project revolutionising local governance

He completed his BTech from Cochin University and then his MTech and PhD from IIT Madras. He has authored more than 140 research publications in various reputed avenues in Computer Science and AI, and has received multiple best paper awards. He has authored five books, of which some are in Malayalam for general readers. He has received the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) Young Engineer Award (2015), Kerala Science Literature Award (2023), and Kerala Sahithya Academy Award (2024).