Former Flipkart VP joins Ather Energy as chief business officer

Smart electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy today announced the appointment of Ravneet Singh Phokela as its chief business officer. In his new role, Phokela will oversee marketing, sales and customer experience for the company, the Bangalore-based company said in a release.

Having worked on leading global and Indian brands such as Nokia, Whirlpool and Flipkart, Phokela brings tremendous consumer marketing experience for the start-up, it said.

Commenting on the new appointment, Tarun Mehta, CEO and co-founder, Ather Energy, said: “Ravneet brings valuable experience to Ather and will be an asset to the management team. His knowledge in driving brand and customer experiences is significant and strategic, as we near the launch of our vehicle. We look forward to benefitting immensely from his expertise in building memorable brands.”

Phokela received his MBA degree from IMT, Ghaziabad. He started his career at Lowe Lintas and moved on to join Whirlpool where he headed marketing services for the home appliances brand. He later joined Nokia in London as Global Marketing Director. To his credit are enduring campaigns like ‘Mummy ka Magic’ for Whirlpool washing machines, and ‘Made for India’ campaign for the Nokia 1100, which continues to be one of the most successful campaigns for Nokia India till date, Ather Energy said in the release.

A brainchild of IIT Madras graduates Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain, Ather Energy is one of the leading start-ups working in the field of electric mobility. The company is currently designing an electric two-wheeler, and has received $12 million funding from Tiger Global for the project.

Set to be India’s first ‘smart’ electric two-wheeler, the Ather S340 will run on lithium-ion batteries and has digital dashboard. It offers a top speed of 75kph and will do 0-60kph in 11 seconds, has an estimated driving range of 50-100km, and recharge to about 90 percent capacity in an hour. The battery will have a life-cycle of 50,000km, with a lifespan of five to six years.