India’s leading two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, announced on Friday that its CEO, Niranjan Gupta, will step down from his role effective May 1. The company has appointed board member Vikram Kasbekar as acting CEO. Gupta, who was named CEO in 2023, joined Hero MotoCorp in 2017 as CFO.
Vikram Kasbekar, an industry veteran with over five decades of experience in research and development, operations, supply chain, and engineering, will oversee the transition until a new CEO is appointed. Gupta replaced Pawan Munjal, who then took over as the chairman and whole-time director of the board. Gupta’s tenure at the firm lasted for eight years.
Executive Chairman Pawan Munjal acknowledged Gupta’s contributions to the company, stating, “Since joining Hero in 2017, Niranjan has strengthened our financial resilience, forged global alliances, and laid the foundation for the House of Strategy that defines our future growth journey. His leadership has been pivotal in steering the company toward new frontiers. I wish him the very best and all the success in his future endeavors.”
Munjal added, “Vikram Kasbekar will assume the role of Acting Chief Executive Officer… [and] will guide the organization and leadership through this transition.”
In other leadership changes, Ashutosh Varma, the National Sales Head, has been promoted to Chief Business Officer, India BU, succeeding Ranjivjit Singh.
Varma has been with the company for 15 years. Ram Kuppuswamy, currently Chief Procurement Officer, has been elevated to Chief Operations Officer – Manufacturing, where he will oversee plant operations and quality. He joined the company three years ago.