Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz India has announced the appointment of Vyankatesh Kulkarni as the Executive Director and Head of Operations, India, effective June 1, 2022.
Kulkarni will be responsible for production and procurement-related functions at Mercedes-Benz India, and will also be heading the company’s transformation journey into electrification, digitisation and technology-driven smart manufacturing.
Kulkarni has been with Mercedes-Benz since 2008, having previously handled many global projects in the domains of planning, simulations, engineering, quality and supply chain. He had joined Mercedes Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) in 2008 and had played a key role in strategising and setting up the international tech-hub for manufacturing and supply chain.
Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, MBIL said at Mercedes-Benz India, Kulkarni will build on the strong localisation competencies of its world-class manufacturing facility and related resources. “He will also play a pivotal role in transforming the manufacturing ecosystem by undertaking the company’s transitional journey into electrification and technology driven ‘smart manufacturing’ and Industry 4.0 practices of the future,” Schwenk said.
Kulkarni holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and pursued Data Science from IIM, Lucknow. Prior to MBRDI, he had worked with leading automotive companies such as Tata Motors- Technologies and Maruti Suzuki India.