Electric Vehicles (EV) and associated companies are going all out to attract senior executives from legacy automobile firms as significant talent churn is underway within the nascent but ascendant EV industry, said industry experts.
Data from executive search firm Native on talent migration of senior professionals in the last 12-24 months show that about 45% of the senior moves into the EV space are from large automobile companies. About 24% of the churn was within the EV industry itself, while 31% of the moves were from other industries, show an analysis that tracked 200 senior movements to about 22 EV and related companies.
Greaves Electric Mobility, Sun Mobility, Hero Electric, Mahindra Electric, Okaya Electric, Simple Energy and Altigreen are among those ramping up the workforce, according to the Native data. “Even as the largest chunk of seasoned pros are joining from the traditional automobile majors to EV companies, a significant number of the senior executives have moved within the EV industry within the first 8-10 months of joining,” said Mandeep Dadyala, principal – industrials, Native.
“These people have first mover advantage and although the space is nascent, they have picked up a specialisation within the first few months and are looking to move,” he added. The domain is so dynamic that every four to six months something new is coming up and a lot of these companies are also start-ups as a result many of the senior folks are open to explore newer options, said Dadyala. Altigreen has expanded its workforce from 120 to 900 in the last 12 months.
“In the sales and service space we are hiring from traditional auto companies as it’s easier for them to attract customers and raise finance,” said Amitabh Saran, CEO, Altigreen.
“In vehicle R&D, hiring is from non-traditional companies and they are trained in electrification, as they don’t have domain expertise. For instance, to make electric motor controllers we hire from the electronics industry,” said Saran.
Anshul Gupta, MD, Okaya Electric Vehicles, which has hired seasoned professionals in R&D, sales and service, said: “Their skills in managing complex operations, leading teams, and handling supply chains are crucial. They contribute to business models, processes, partnerships, and functions like operations, supply chain, business development, marketing, and strategic planning.”
“In operations, their experience streamlines production, quality control, and distribution,” he added.
About 10% moves are into R&D, 24% in operations, 37% in sales & marketing and 18% in supply chain management. Roles in demand include heads of engineering, strategy, R&D, quality, and manufacturing. Aditya Narayan Mishra, CEO, Ciel HR, said that with talent supply limited in areas such as R&D and engineering companies are roping in senior talent from other sectors with an up to 70-80% hike in compensation.
