Tata Motors has appointed Rajendra Petkar as the Chief Technology Officer and a member of the executive committee.

Petkar will take charge of the new responsibilities effective April 1, 2018. He has been officiating in this role since November 2017. 

The company says his replacement as the ‘Head of Power Systems Engineering’ will be announced in due course. In the meanwhile, he will continue to oversee the PSE related scope of responsibility.

As the CTO, Petkar is responsible for leading the product development and engineering function at Tata Motors, which involves design and development of a vast range of vehicles and components for the Tata Motors product portfolio.

He has been heading the Power Systems Engineering Division at ERC of Tata Motors since October 2013, where he has been responsible for design and development of engines, transmissions and advanced powertrain concepts. 

Additionally, he represents Tata Motors at various automotive bodies and is also the Tata Motors-nominated director on the Board of Tata Cummins.

An alumnus of IIT Mumbai, Petkar’s stint with Tata Motors began in 1989. With a career spanning over 28 years of automotive R&D, he has held key positions and led critical projects at Tata Motors’ ERC. He holds many patents and research papers to his credit.