The Bhavish Aggarwal-led EV maker Ola Electric has some lesser known industry veterans working behind the scenes in the post-IPO world. Market leader Ola Electric listed after a $734 million IPO on August 9. It was among India’s biggest this year.
Ola Electric has strategically hired experts for its diverse operations, focusing on EV manufacturing, cell production, charging infrastructure, and R&D.
Most of these key executives have joined in the last two years.
One notable addition is Shaun William Calvert, who joined Ola Electric from Vinfast to lead its manufacturing facility. Calvert leads a team of 874 women workers.
Another important figure is Hyun Shik Park, previously head of cell operations at LG’s so-called Mother Factory at Ochang in South Korea. Park now leads the Ola Cells Gigafactory and even earns more than Aggarwal, as per reports.
Another key figure is Suvonil Chatterjee, formerly Flipkart’s design lead. As Ola Electric’s chief technology and product officer since 2021, Chatterjee is often considered the second-most influential figure in the company. He has had a significant role in developing Ola Krutrim and Ola Maps. Chatterjee is the highest-paid executive in this division and earned Rs 5.3 crore in FY24.
Then there is Ramkripa Ananthan, a seasoned automobile designer known for her work on the Mahindra Thar and XUV 700, now leads Ola Electric’s vehicle design team. Ananthan, who joined Ola Electric in July 2022, heads the vehicle design unit and the bike concepts unveiled by the company on August 15, 2023 were designed under her purview. A BITS Pilani and IIT Bombay alumni, Ananthan took home Rs 1.6 crore in FY24, while Calvert was paid Rs 4.8 crore in FY24, as per reports.
The EV maker also has Samraj Jabez Dhinagar, the head of vehicle engineering, Slokarth Das, head of planning and strategy, and Saurabh Sarda, head of partnership and corporate affairs.