Mahindra & Mahindra has said that ex-Ford India chief, Arvind Mathew will take over as the CEO of Mahindra Reva after Chetan Maini, who is moving to a new role within the Group, the company said in a statement late evening today.

Autocar India, this publication’s sister magazine, broke the news of Maini’s departure from Mahindra Reva over a day ago.

Both Mathew and Maini will assume charge of their new roles effective May 1, 2015.

Chetan will have a wider role in the Mahindra Group and will be responsible for incubating new technology ventures and lead its technology initiatives.  He will continue to be associated with Mahindra Reva and Formula-E Racing as an advisor.

Dr. Pawan Goenka, executive director, M&M, said, “Chetan Maini has been synonymous with electric vehicle technology and his vision and expertise has been instrumental in pioneering innovations in this space. Chetan is globally recognised for this achievement and I wish to place on record our sincere appreciation for his immense contribution. While welcoming Arvind to the Mahindra family, I am sure he will take Mahindra Reva to newer heights with his diverse international exposure, technical background and proven ability to drive innovation and growth.”

A postgraduate in mechanical engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan, Mathew comes with over two decades of experience with Ford Motor Company. He is credited with playing a major role in the development of new vehicle and powertrain programme for Ford India and went on to become the president and MD in 2005. In his last role, he was CEO, Tata Advanced Materials.