Imagine working for 32 years with the automotive industry and then making a shift to the railways sector. Imagine being in the B2C segment for more than three decades and then suddenly placing yourself in the B2B sector. Now meet Sudhir Rao, Managing Director, India, Bombardier Transportation, who has made this shift. And he's enjoying it. In fact, he also believes that this stint with the public sector will actually give him the opportunity to also do something for the society.
Rao, who has worked across different functions in his long career, sees a lot of synergies between the automotive and the railways industries - in terms of manufacturing and operations. In fact, his last employer Skoda and the new employer Bombardier are both German companies. "Of course, the customer profile and the procurement policies are different in both the industries. I have just started but the first few months have been quite educational," he says.
Priorities now
In the current role, Rao will oversee all projects, manufacturing sites, engineering presence, business development and stakeholder-related activities for Bombardier Transportation in India. His primary focus and commitment is towards building a sustainable and profitable business in India, while improving the company's performance and competitiveness. "India is one of the high priority markets for Bombardier Transportation. We have placed a strong focus on delivering projects for the Indian and export market, enhancing our engineering and industrial footprint, enhancing skills of local talent and increasing our local content to continue delivering on the government's Make in India initiative," he says.
Globally, as well as in India, Bombardier is in a transformation phase and it complements well with the fact that Rao has driven profitable growth for companies, with deep manufacturing industry experience and a track record of execution during his tenure of over three decades.