Sumantran: Exit mode

Mumbai, Aug. 16: V. Sumantran, the man in charge of passenger cars at Tata Motors Ltd and the one who scripted the success of the Tata Indica V2 and the Tata Indigo, has resigned.

Sumantran communicated his decision to resign from the company to pursue other interests and his request has been accepted, Tata Motors said in a release.

Sumantran joined as executive director of Tata Motors’ passenger car business and the engineering research centre in November 2001.

Industry observers feel that the resignation of Sumantran is significant as it closely follows the recent appointment of Ravi Kant, his colleague, as the managing director of Tata Motors. Kant, who was in charge of the commercial vehicles segment, was promoted to fill a slot that was lying vacant for more than a decade.

In an official statement, Sumantran said: “It has been a privilege to have worked with Ratan Tata, (chairman of Tata Motors) and to have been a part of the company during its recent turnaround phase.”

“I leave the company with a lot of goodwill and good feelings. I wish it continued success in future endeavours,” he added.

Ratan Tata also acknowledged Sumantran’s contribution to the company. “Sumantran has been a member of the senior management team at Tata Motors and has contributed significantly to the company during his association,” he said.

For the time being, the passenger car business unit and engineering research centre would directly report to Kant, a spokesperson said.