Dr Pawan Kumar Goenka, whose direction and leadership enabled the Mahindra Group make significant progress, will retire as its Managing Director & CEO (M&M Ltd.) on March 31, 2021.

An indispensable part of the Mahindra Group for 28 years, Dr Goenka has been the driving force behind the Group’s growth and transformation since he became its part in 1993. Starting off as GM (R&D), Dr Goenka quickly rose through the R&D ranks to eventually head the automotive and farm equipment business.

Over the years, Dr Goenka has spearheaded phenomenal growth for the businesses under AFS. His leadership has helped establish Mahindra as leader in its business domains, both from the perspective of market leadership and technology prowess, and enabled the Group to deliver class leading financial performance. 

An active participant in various industry forums, Dr Goenka has used every opportunity to emphasise the need for India to develop capabilities in technology, innovation and manufacturing. An active industry spokesperson, he has advocated the need to strengthen the Indian manufacturing ecosystem through increased private sector investment in R&D, capability building in the MSME sector, skill development, investments in modern manufacturing processes, focus on innovation and stronger industry-academia partnerships.

A BTech in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, he holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and has also done an Advanced Management Program from the Harvard Business School. 

Dr Goenka has been bestowed with several prestigious accolades. He was recently presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Car India & Bike India Awards 2020 (for his leadership and commitment towards the progress of the Indian automotive industry). He is the first Indian to receive the FISITA Medal of Honor in 2016 in recognition of his ‘particularly distinguished achievement and leadership in the global automotive industry’.