V R Padmanabhan, born on January 13, 1952, is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer from the 1990 Kerala cadre batch. He served in various capacities including Secretary, Director, State Project Director, Managing Director, and District Collector. His most recent position was Secretary in the Parliamentary Affairs Department from October 16, 2009, to January 31, 2012. A graduate by education, Mr. Padmanabhan has had a distinguished career in public administration within Kerala.