New Delhi: As the wheels of the automotive industry continue to turn, 2023 has proved to be a pivotal year marked by dynamic changes and strategic realignments in personnel across the Indian and global automotive landscape.
The automotive industry witnessed in 2023 a series of strategic leadership transitions, propelling both global giants and Indian stalwarts to new directions. Here’s a snapshot of the major people movements that defined the narrative of the sector throughout the year.
Maruti Suzuki’s financial facelift: India’s automotive giant, Maruti Suzuki appointed Arnab Roy as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Taking the reins from January 1, 2024, Roy is poised to steer the company’s financial strategies into the future.
Hyundai’s senior management shuffle: Hyundai Motor India ushered in a wave of changes in its senior leadership, effective from January 1, 2023. Tarun Garg, with a rich history at Maruti Suzuki, stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO), overseeing Sales, Marketing, Service, and Product Strategy.
Electra EV’s engineering dynamo: Chandrakant Awate, with a formidable 30-year stint at Tata Motors, joined Electra EV, bringing his expertise to drive engineering and technology development. Speculations abound about the Ratan Tata-backed firm’s foray into new EV segments, with the off-highway segment potentially in the spotlight.
Rajan Amba’s journey to Jaguar Land Rover: Rajan Amba, formerly Vice President at Tata Motors, took on a new role at Jaguar Land Rover India, steering Sales, Marketing, and Customer Care from March 1, 2023.
Hero MotoCorp’s leadership transition: The world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, appointed Niranjan Gupta as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective from May 1, 2023. Gupta ascended from his position as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Head of Strategy and M&A.
Dynamic changes at Mahindra & Mahindra: Mahindra & Mahindra witnessed several key changes, including the resignation of CP Gurnani, Pamela Tikku’s entry as Vice President and Head of Auto Group Public Affairs, and the appointment of Kausalya Nandakumar as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Mahindra Electric Automobiles Limited (MEAL).
Suzuki Motorcycle India’s leadership shift: Kenichi Umeda took the helm as the new Managing Director of Suzuki Motorcycle India, succeeding Satoshi Uchida.
Renault’s strategic communication move: Renault India appointed Nabeel A Khan as Director and Head of Public Affairs, Communication, and CSR, leveraging his 15 years of media industry experience.
Stellantis India’s new leadership: Aditya Jairaj assumed the role of CEO and Managing Director of Stellantis India from January 1, 2024, succeeding Roland Bouchara. Meanwhile, Sunil Mittal and Nipun Mahajan resign from their positions in Sales & Marketing.
Uber’s strategic business development move: Uber India and South Asia welcomed Arnab Kumar as Director of Business Development, bringing his 17 years of experience in technology and financial services to the ride-hailing giant.
Shell India: Mansi Madan Tripathy took over as the new Country Chair of Shell India from October 1, 2023, succeeding Nitin Prasad.
Tesla’s financial leadership shift: Indian-origin Vaibhav Taneja assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer at Tesla, succeeding Zachary Kirkhorn.
Ford: Ford Motor Co promoted Kumar Galhotra to Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the global industrial system.
Volvo Car India: Jyotsana Singh Kaushik took charge as Director of Marketing and PR at Volvo Car India, bringing two decades of expertise to the role.
ACMA’s Leadership Changes: Shradha Suri Marwah and Vikrampati Singhania assume the roles of President and Vice President, respectively.
Pod Point’s EV Leadership: Former CEO of Switch Mobility, Andy Palmer, stepped in as interim CEO at Pod Point, aiming to contribute to building a zero-emission future.
Bosch Group: Guruprasad Mudlapur took over as President of the Bosch Group in India, succeeding Soumitra Bhattacharya.
Continental: Ismail Dagli assumed leadership of Continental’s Autonomous Mobility business area, succeeding Frank Petznick.
Hella India: Rama Shankar Pandey, former MD of Hella India Lighting, assumed the role of CEO at Tata Green Batteries.
As the automotive industry bids farewell to 2023, these strategic appointments and departures set the stage for an exciting and transformative journey in the year ahead.
