Hero Appoints Ex-Mahindra Executive Kausalya Nandakumar as CBO For Vida Unit

Hero MotoCorp appoints Kausalya Nandakumar as Chief Business Officer of its Emerging Mobility Business Unit, Vida, effective July 10, 2025. Reporting to Pawan Munjal, she’ll lead strategy for sustainable, future-ready mobility solutions. 

Hero’s New CBO: What Experience Does She Bring?

Kausalya Nandakumar holds an MBA in Marketing from NMIMS, an Engineering degree in Electronics & Instrumentation from Mumbai University. Also, she has completed leadership programs at Harvard Business School and Ross School of Business. Apart from this, she brings rich experience to Hero’s electric journey:

• She has nearly 20 years of leadership across automotive, EVs, digital tech, and social impact.
• Most recently, she was COO at Mahindra Electric Automobile Ltd.
• At Mahindra, she led the launch strategy for a USD 9.8 billion electric SUV business.
• Kausalya Nandakumar also drove transformation for Mahindra’s farm division through the Krish-e platform.
• At Glyd, she handled operations and tech for Mahindra’s electric shared mobility project.
• She founded and scaled SmartShift, one of India’s first digital logistics platforms.

Why This Move Matters

Hero’s Vida is its flagship EV brand. Appointing Nandakumar shows the company is serious about scaling electric mobility. Moreover, her track record in startups, shared services, and digital platforms aligns well with Hero’s plans to deliver integrated and tech-led mobility solutions. Ms. Nandakumar replaces Swadesh Srivastava, who stepped down recently. Srivastava remains involved for a smooth handover. 

Hero’s Big Bet on EVs

This appointment follows Hero’s growing investments in Vida and partnerships with brands like Ather Energy, Zero Motorcycles, and Harley-Davidson. Hero is aiming to lead India’s transition to electric mobility through affordable EVs, a charging network, and scalable business models.

We can expect a sharper focus on EV innovations from Hero under her leadership. Moreover, the road ahead includes expanding Vida’s portfolio, growing charging infrastructure, and launching shared-mobility solutions.

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