In the rapidly evolving world of India’s electric vehicle market, Ola Electric is experiencing significant leadership changes while simultaneously pursuing an ambitious retail expansion.
Anshul Khandelwal, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, has resigned, marking the second high-profile departure in recent months following Chief Technology Officer Suvonil Chatterjee’s exit, according to Moneycontrol. Both departures come in the wake of a major corporate reorganization at the electric vehicle manufacturer.
Khandelwal, who joined Ola’s ecosystem in 2019 through Foodpanda, had risen through the ranks, transitioning from his role as Head of Marketing at Ola Foods to become the electric vehicle division’s CMO. Ola had acquired Foodpanda in 2020.
Despite these executive departures, Ola Electric is pushing forward with aggressive growth plans. The company announced this week a fivefold expansion of its retail footprint, increasing its presence from 800 to 4,000 stores across India. In a strategic move to enhance customer service, these new outlets will serve dual purposes as both retail stores and service centers.
“We have completely redefined the EV purchase and ownership experience,” said Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola Electric’s Chairman and Managing Director, touting the company’s “#SavingsWalaScooter campaign.”
The expansion extends beyond India’s metropolitan areas and tier 2-3 cities into smaller towns and tehsils, with over 3,200 new combination store-service centers already operational. This push into smaller markets signals Ola Electric’s ambition to capture a broader share of India’s growing electric vehicle market, even as it navigates internal changes at the executive level.
Read more: Suvonil Chatterjee resigns as Ola Electric’s Chief Technology and Product Officer