Chief Executive Officer | World-Leading German Automobile Manufacturer Seeking Leader for India
Background
Our client was a world leader in automobiles, headquartered in Germany, that was a well-recognized brand and among the top producers of automobiles. They produced a range of cars targeting premium car buyers, and a bestselling range of motorcycles.
The Need
The company was an early entrant in the Indian market for premium cars; however, they were under increasing market share pressure from global competitors. They realized their usual practice of placing expat executives to lead the India business for fixed terms was proving counter-productive because the Indian market was a unique and tough market, even for other global auto makers. While their market in India was growing given the growth in the number of high income/ high net worth families, they needed to develop an impactful strategy to regain the top position in this emerging market. Their desire was to hire a native Indian in the role who understood the market, consumers, sales channels, culturally aligned to the local market, and had current or past global experience. At the same time, they needed to be global enough in their outlook and work style, so they could work effectively with various teams at the German headquarters to realize their growth objectives for India.
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