Mercedes-Benz has appointed Vyankatesh Kulkarni as the Executive Director and Head of Operations, India. The company said that Vyankatesh will be responsible for production and procurement related functions of Mercedes-Benz India, including the company’s transformation journey into electrification, digitisation and technology driven smart manufacturing prowess of the future.

Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “Vyankatesh has successfully handled many important global projects at MBRDI in the areas of planning, simulations, engineering, quality and supply chain. At Mercedes-Benz India, he will build on the strong localisation competencies of our world-class manufacturing facility and related resources. He will also play a pivotal role in transforming the manufacturing ecosystem by undertaking the company’s transitional journey into electrification and technology driven ‘Smart Manufacturing’ and Industry 4.0 practices of the future.”

Vyankatesh joined Mercedes Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) in 2008 and was instrumental in strategizing and setting up the ‘International tech-hub’ for Manufacturing and Supply Chain. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and pursued Data Science from IIM, Lucknow. Prior to Mercedes Benz Research & Development India, Vyankatesh worked with automotive companies such as TATA Motors-Technologies and Maruti Suzuki India.