Skoda Auto has appointed Jennifer Pandya as the new marketing head, effective November 1, as the company looks to unveil its sub-compact SUV in Mumbai next month.
Pandya is currently the Vice President of Marketing at CaratLane, an online jewellery store run by Tata Group’s Titan company under its Tanishq brand. With a career spanning almost two decades, she has worked with firms like Shaadi.com and Times Group, underlining her strength in understanding digital marketing and media. An email sent to the company did not elicit any response.
Pandya’s appointment completes the hiring of critical roles at Skoda Auto India, which has seen significant churn in the past few years, especially with changes in the posts of the head of sales and marketing, including brand directors.
Petr Janeba, the new brand director who took charge of the Indian operation on January 1, 2024, has already roped in Vishal Bhat from the VW Group to take charge of sales for the Skoda brand, from July. Jennifer Pandya will oversee the critical marketing role, as Skoda looks to more than double its sales in the country with the launch of the sub-4-metre SUV Kylaq.
The brand will seek to break into the mainstream car buyers' psyche to carve out a space in the highly competitive Indian car market. Skoda Auto India ended FY24 with a total sale of 44,000 units, and a market share of 1%.
"Over the last two decades, I have had the chance to excel at consumer in-sighting, digital marketing, omni–channel marketing, marketing research, steering brand communication, media planning, regional marketing, public relations, social media, influencer marketing, content marketing, new market development and drive key business goals," Pandya wrote on her LinkedIn profile.