Chetan Maini to step down as CEO of Reva to play larger technology role
Bengaluru: India’s electric car pioneer Chetan Maini, the man behind the Reva, is stepping down as CEO of his dream venture, but only to dream bigger of a future in which electric mobility, renewable energy and Smart Cities all come together, and to co-create that future with his boss Anand Mahindra, Mr Maini told this newspaper hours after news broke that he had ‘quit’ Reva and could possibly move out of the Mahindra Group, which now owns the electric car company.
“This was something I triggered, I asked for a change of role”, Mr Maini said in an effort to scotch rumours that he had quit under pressure or had been removed.
“When the Mahindras came onboard Reva, I became CTO in the new entity. Then, I was asked to be chief executive officer again for sometime. Now, I want to look at potential technologies of the future. Less day-to-day operations, more future thinking, that’s what I want to do”.
Mr Maini said Mahindra Reva now needed more operational excellence, with technology having reached a stable point, as the market grows.
“The Indian government has announced policy support for electric mobility that is going to be a game-changer for us and the industry. E2O sales are ramping up, we want to launch in Europe this year, the electric Maximo is on pilot in Agra and the Mahindra Verito will go electric this year. So, a lot of the plans are seeing the light of day”.
Now, he said, “My mandate is wide. Part of it will be connected to Reva, but electric mobility, renewable energy, Smart Cities are all coming together in a big way. How technology is going to impact society is big. I want to play a role in that. There is more potential than I have seen until now.”
Mr Maini makes way for new CEO Arvind Mathew, a former Ford India head who was most recently head of Tata Advanced Materials, formally at the end of May, but he will continue to be an adviser to Mahindra Reva. “I’m here for three more months. Of course, I am emotionally attached to the electric car dream and the company I founded, but this move is about making that dream bigger and creating a bigger future. And (Mahindra Group chairman) Anand Mahindra is a good partner to co-create that future with”.
