Demand for Mahindra & Mahindra’s utility vehicles, namely Scorpio and Xylo are robust not just in India but overseas as well. This has prompted the market leader of SUVs to set up assembly plants in international markets to better serve their needs.
If Mahindra Scorpios are commonly seen on the streets of Egypt or South Africa, two of the biggest overseas markets for the company, due credit has to be given to Pravin Shah, Chief Executive of International Operations.
Despite having no formal education in the automobile sector, Shah speaks passionately about new technologies worked upon by M&M engineers. Be it new vehicle design, styling, engines and architecture, Shah does not falter when asked to explain new innovation at the company.
Having associated with Mumbai-based M&M since the past three decades, Shah, a frequent traveller and cricket enthusiast, was recently asked to take over the chief executive’s position of the automotive division.
As the head of the automotive division, Shah will join all the related councils and dynamic structures, ex-officio. He will replace Rajesh Jejurikar who quit M&M (and with it the automotive industry) to join Zee last year as its president.
Shah received his Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honours from Gujarat University. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant, ranking 11th in the exams conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Before joining Mahindra, he worked with AF Ferguson (now Deloitte) as a Senior Manager.
Shah has been at the forefront of functions like finance and IT systems within the automotive and tractor businesses as well as general management. He has been closely involved with several milestones in Mahindra’s evolution with some of the prominent launches being Scorpio, Bolero, Xylo and now XUV 500, the company’s most premium SUV.
Shah will now have to take charge of a crucial phase that M&M is entering into with several keys launches and expansion of activities planned. Besides new innovation at its own end including new derivatives of the XUV500 and new variants of the Verito sedan and Xylo van, M&M is gearing up to launch the products of SsangYong in India too.
