German auto component major Continental has appointed Latha Chembrakalam as the new head of Technical Center India (TCI).
Latha will be taking over from Alexander Klotz, under whose leadership TCI grew into one of the largest engineering centres for Continental globally, the company said in a press release.
Latha’s appointment will be instrumental in leading TCI to the next level of growth and innovation, including infrastructural expansion, headcount growth, and expansion of engineering competence for both global and local markets.
Juergen Heim, Senior Vice President and Head of Holistic Engineering & Technology Locations Management, said, “I am glad to welcome Latha as the new head of TCI and also extend my thanks to Alex, who oversaw many successful projects, expansions, and milestones. The race for the future mobility ecosystem has only just begun, and as the R&D arm for Continental, our Holistic Engineering & Technology unit and key centres like TCI have the responsibility for future technologies and solutions for the automotive sector.”
Prashanth Doreswamy, Country Head, Continental India and Managing Director, Continental Automotive Components (India) said, TCI has become a vital engineering centre in a short period for Continental globally. Latha’s leadership, experience, and expertise will ensure TCI continues to grow in competence, innovation potential and capacity, touching new milestones. “Additionally, Latha is our first woman head of TCI and a welcome addition to our women executive leadership pool,” he added.
Latha Chembrakalam has nearly three decades of experience and has held many leadership roles in her illustrious career.
Before Continental, Latha was the Vice President at Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions, responsible for the complete powertrain and electrification area. Earlier, she also worked with Siemens Information Systems.
Set up in 2009, TCI, with a strength of approximately 4,000 engineers, is one of the company’s major R&D locations organised under the Holistic Engineering and Technologies organisation.
TCI supports both global and local R&D for the company’s Automotive Technologies group sector. It is also the Global Software Center for Excellence and the HQ of the Global Software Academy.
India has emerged as the Regional R&D Centre, Asia Application Hub apart from tailoring solutions for the local market.