ONE of the largest vehicle manufacturers by production in India and the largest manufacturer of tractors in the world, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, has appointed Dr Anish Shah as managing director and CEO.

He was previously deputy managing director and group CFO. His appointment follows the top management succession announcement made in December which included the transition of Anand Mahindra, grandson of the company founder, to non-executive chairman.

Dr Shah will become the first professional managing director and CEO in the history of the Mahindra Group to have a complete oversight of and responsibility for the Mahindra Group businesses.

Dr Shah replaces Dr Pawan Goenka who will retire as managing director and CEO and a member of the board of directors.

Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra said he saluted the work accomplished by Dr Goenka in his 27-year career in the company.

He said one of the reasons the company had succeeded and thrived over the past 75 years was that it was “good at introducing change in the right measure at the right time.”

“Anish is the right leader for the Mahindra Group. As the MD and CEO, he will have a complete oversight of all Mahindra Group businesses including our global operations, the transformation agenda and, synergising and driving several strategic programs,” he said.

“Anish embodies the spirit of Rise and brings an exceptional leadership track record, strong international exposure and a unique ability to forge long-standing relationships with our customers, partners and our employees. I believe that there is no better person to lead Mahindra into the future.”

Commenting on his appointment, Dr Shah said: “I am humbled and deeply honoured to lead the Mahindra Group, an extraordinary organisation whose real wealth lies in its people who embody its core values and live its purpose every day.

“I look forward to working closely with Anand and all my colleagues to write a new chapter of growth and to drive positive change in the lives of our stakeholders to enable them to Rise.”

Dr Shah joined Mahindra in 2015 as the group president of strategy. He was previously president and CEO of GE Capital India.

He has a Ph.D from Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon and a post-graduate diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

By Neil Dowling