While Vikram Kasbekar is the new Chief Technology Officer, Rajat Bhargava will head the newly created ‘Emerging Mobility’ Business Unit.
09 Jul 2019 | 12876 Views | By Autocar Pro News Desk
In an effort to stay ahead of emerging mobility trends, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has revamped its leadership team.
As part of this process, the company appointed Vikram Kasbekar as the Chief Technology Officer, while Rajat Bhargava will head the newly created ‘Emerging Mobility’ Business Unit. They ...
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In an effort to stay ahead of emerging mobility trends, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has revamped its leadership team.
As part of this process, the company appointed Vikram Kasbekar as the Chief Technology Officer, while Rajat Bhargava will head the newly created ‘Emerging Mobility’ Business Unit. They will both continue to report to Dr Pawan Munjal, chairman, Hero MotoCorp. Rajat currently heads Corporate Strategy & Performance Transformation and is also Head of Global Business. Vikram, currently the Executive Director – Operations (Plants) at Hero MotoCorp, will be in charge of the Company’s Research and Development facilities – the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur and the Hero Tech Centre Germany GmbH.
Vikram Kasbekar will replace Markus Braunsperger, who will be relocating to Europe after the completion of his five-year tenure. Markus, who led CIT from its days of inception, has been credited with giving shape to the research and development set-up at Hero MotoCorp, forming a global team of engineers and automotive experts drawn from different parts of the world.
Markus Braunsperger, who is relocating to Europe after completing his 5-year tenure, is credited with giving shape to Hero MotoCorp’s R&D setup and forming a global team of engineers and automotive experts.
Under Markus, Hero successfully launched close to 40 new models and variants including a series of premium two-wheelers, including the XPulse range motorcycles, the Destini 125 and Maestro Edge 125 scooters. He also led the company to a smooth transition from BS-III to BS-IV earlier and to BS-VI now, as Hero MotoCorp became the first manufacturer in India to receive the BS-VI certification for a two-wheeler from the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT). He also played a key role in setting up Hero Tech Centre Germany and giving Hero MotoSports a major boost.
Vikram, who has been with Hero MotoCorp for over a decade and half, brings years of varied technology and engineering experience in manufacturing and large-scale plant operations, Supply Chain and New Model Development.
Rajat Bhargava said: “The mobility sector is set to witness unprecedented disruptions owing to the rapid migration to electrification, green technology and shared mobility over the next few years. At Hero MotoCorp, we are committed to play a leading role in this transformation by allocating dedicated resources - both in terms of investments and people – in working towards designing and developing these mobility solutions with enhanced focus.”
Commenting on his appointment as CTO, Vikram Kasbekar said: “Our R&D setup has expanded and enhanced rapidly over the past few years and is now spread across multiple geographies. Through our robust and self-sufficient R&D ecosystem, we continue to develop technologies of the future. At our world-class facilities, a very capable team – comprising of engineers from India and across the world – is constantly engaged in designing and developing new products for millions of customers around the globe. I am deeply honored and excited to have been given this opportunity to lead the R&D team at the world’s largest two-wheeler company.”
Markus Braunsperger said: “It has been an extremely enriching experience for me to be a part of the exciting journey at Hero MotoCorp. As part of the Leadership Team at Hero, I have worked closely with Vikram over the past five years and truly believe that he is best suited to take over the reins at CIT. I thank our Chairman Pawan Munjal for giving me the opportunity to lead the R&D function at Hero. It was a unique opportunity for me to contribute to the world’s largest two-wheeler company and I will always cherish these memories and my stay in India. I have now decided to move back to Europe to be there with my family. I wish the entire team at Hero MotoCorp the very best for the future.”