Orange County, California, United States, April 2025 – Aparna Chitale has been elevated to the dual role of Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President of Customer Operations at Virgin Galactic, marking a significant milestone in her leadership journey with the aerospace pioneer. In this expanded position, Aparna will lead both global human capital strategy and the end-to-end customer operations function, playing a pivotal role in shaping Virgin Galactic’s people experience and customer journey as the company scales its spaceflight services.
Over the past three and a half years at Virgin Galactic, Aparna served as Chief People Officer, leading functions across talent acquisition, employee experience, analytics, DEIB, total rewards, and corporate security. She worked closely with the CEO and board on executive compensation and ESG, playing a central role in company-wide transformation.
Before joining Virgin Galactic, Aparna was Vice President of Human Resources and Diversity & Inclusion at Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, where she led HR strategy across international parks in Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, along with cruise and consumer product segments. She focused on global HR integration, cultural alignment, and business transformation across geographies.
Earlier, she held leadership roles within The Walt Disney Company in the U.S. and India, including as Executive Director of HR and Director of HR for Facilities Operations Services. She played a central role in the integration of UTV with Disney India and led several high-impact talent and inclusion initiatives across business lines.
Aparna’s prior experience includes HR leadership positions at Avaya and HCL Technologies, where she built HR infrastructure, led strategic HR planning, and implemented global programs in fast-scaling environments.
Aparna Chitale holds a Master’s in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (1997–1999).
About Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is a trailblazing aerospace and space travel company committed to making space accessible to private individuals and researchers. With cutting-edge spaceflight systems and a vision to create awe-inspiring journeys, the company aims to revolutionize human spaceflight. Virgin Galactic is at the forefront of connecting people to the wonder of space, offering transformative experiences while advancing commercial space innovation.
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