THE LEADING LADY OF ELECTRIC!

From humble beginnings in Odisha to becoming the CEO of Mahindra Electric Mobility, Suman Mishra's journey is nothing short of a tale of zealousness. In an exclusive conversation with The Machinist, she talks about her journey, role in women empowerment, MEML business, future plans and more. Excerpts...

-  Anvita Pillai

Starting from the famous land of temples, Odisha, to becoming the Chief Executive Officer of the world's pioneer electric vehicle manufacturer, Mahindra Electric Mobility (MEML), Suman Mishra is an out-of-the-norm leader in the Indian automotive industry. She has managed to make a mark through her decisions and skills in an industry that is rather a paradigm of male dominance.

An academically inclined Mishra was in the top 5 per cent of the class with first-class honours in BASc in Computer Engineering from Nanyang Technological University Singapore and rounded off her education with an MBA from the US Ivy League, Michigan Ross.

MAKING THE OBVIOUS CHOICE

Her professional journey has been of equal verve spanning several industries and functions. "I have so far worked in Singapore, USA and India and in functions including sales, finance, pricing, manufacturing, procurement, organisation structure amongst others across the retail industry, financial services, automotive and assembly, chemical industry and technology. This has helped me appreciate both the common challenges, approaches and best practices across industries," cites Mishra. However, to her, working in the manufacturing sector was a natural choice. She remarks, "I have always had a proclivity towards manufacturing industry from my specialisation with Tauber Institute of Global Operations, MI; McKinsey & Company's industrial operations practice where I worked with auto and industrial majors."

Since her take over as the Senior Vice President at Mahindra Group in 2015, she has worked in a variety of roles including strategy, automotive business transformation, group capital allocation, etc. So, she reveals, "The shift to Mahindra EVs was a natural transition."

THE PANDEMIC & LEADERSHIP