Finally, it is official; Mahindra Group on Friday announced the appointment of Pratap Bose as the Executive Vice President and Chief Design Officer to lead its newly formed Global Design organisation (GDO).
Pratap will join on June 24, 2021, and report to Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director, Auto and Farm Sectors, Mahindra and Mahindra.
The GDO, with Mahindra Advanced Design Europe (M.A.D.E) being set up in Coventry in the West Midlands, UK and the existing Mahindra India Design Studio (M.I.D.S), aims to reshape the future of mobility for the company by designing and developing dynamically engineered next-generation authentic products with global appeal.
The GDO is a strategic initiative aimed at ensuring that products are future-ready and exceed the expectations of customers across the world. It will harness the world-class talent pool and expand its global technology footprint.
To ensure world-class creative output and programme execution, dedicated verticals are being created in each studio location to maximise and enhance creativity and ensure programme delivery on schedule. GDO will sharpen Mahindra’s distinctive product designs and differentiated technology offerings across its portfolio.
Pratap will be responsible for both M.A.D.E and M.I.D.S and will oversee the design of all key business segments such as authentic SUVs including Born Electric Vehicle (BEV), LCV products (under <3.5 T), Last Mile Mobility (LMM), Large CVs, Peugeot Scooters (France) and Tractors & Farm Machines.
An alumnus of Royal College of Art, London and National Institute of Design, India, Pratap brings over 20 years of rich global automotive design experience. His fame rose during his last stint at Tata Motors in the UK, where he spent 14 years. Earlier, he had worked in Piaggio, Italy and Daimler Chrysler, Japan.
Jejurikar said the company is at an inflexion point in the auto and farm sectors growth journey as it accelerates its transformative initiatives. The company’s pipeline of 23 new products slated to be launched in the next five years will bring its design and advanced engineering capability across automotive, farm equipment and two-wheelers to the fore.
“Having Pratap on the team will strengthen our design capability, enhance our products and widen our customer base. We are very excited to welcome him on board and look forward to writing a new chapter in Mahindra’s rich product legacy,” Jejurikar added.