Santosh Iyer appointed as the first Indian MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India
Santosh Iyer has been associated with Mercedes-Benz India since 2009 and has assumed numerous leadership roles across different departments. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz India's current MD and CEO will take over the same role in Thailand.
By Anirudh Sunil Kumar
Santosh Iyer is also the youngest person to assume the role in India.
Mercedes-Benz India has announced that it has appointed Santosh Iyer as its new managing director and CEO. Iyer will take assume his new role starting from January 1, 2023. The 46-year-old will replace Martin Schwenk as the first Indian as well as the youngest to take over the helm of affairs at the company’s Indian operations.
After a successful four-year stint as the MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India. Martin Schwenk will now take on the same role for the company’s Thailand operations on January 1 as well.
Schwenk has been known to have played an important role in driving electrification and digitisation initiatives. The company statement reads, “Under his stewardship, Mercedes-Benz India successfully mitigated the COVID-19 crisis. His vision, strategic collaborations, and deep engagement with people, partners and customers, enormously contributed to building a future-ready, transparent and highly people-centric organisation.”
Marting Schwenk said, “I will personally remember India for the warmth and generosity of the people, our partners and customers. It is truly a dynamic market with immense potential and offers opportunities, making my stint enriching and rewarding. As the company transitions into an exciting future with emerging mobility trends and unending possibilities, I am thoroughly convinced Mercedes-Benz will achieve new heights with the passion, vision and dynamic leadership that Santosh drives in. His contribution to the brand’s success story in India has been truly remarkable and his exemplary leadership will steer the company successfully into the future.”
In his new role, Iyer said, “I am extremely excited with the new responsibility and the opportunity to lead the most desirable luxury car brand in India. Mercedes-Benz is at the cusp of transitioning to an exciting, electrified future and it is a privilege for me to steer the brand, introduce emerging trends and continue to define new benchmarks for our customers. We have a fantastic winning team comprising our colleagues and franchise partners with proven records, and I am eager to continue this winning story.”
Iyer has been associated with the company since 2009 and has worked in several leadership roles across diverse functions including sales, marketing, customer services, communications and CRM. In 2016, Iyer took over as the VP, of customer services and retail training business. Following the same, Iyer took over as the vice president, of sales and marketing in 2019.
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