Electric vehicle makers in India are accelerating their search for expat talent even as the country positions itself among the world’s leading EV markets.
Companies such as Tata Motors, Ather Energy, Ultraviolette and Royal Enfield are looking for, or have recently brought in, expats and returning Indians for their global perspective, functional expertise in more developed markets and the ability to forge strategic partnerships.
Senior talent is being recruited to head R&D, manufacturing, engineering and product management.
The Indian EV market size is estimated at USD 34.8 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 110.7 billion by 2029, according to a report by Mordor Intelligence.
There’s an influx of mandates from the electric vehicle sector, say search firms.
Mandates for expat talent have increased by at least 30% for the quarter to March 2024 compared to the year-ago period, said R Suresh, managing director of Insist Consulting.
Robust Demand
“There is no prior experience in the Indian market for design, development, manufacturing of li-ion battery cells and its variants, and there is a dire shortage of talent in giga factory projects and R&D of batteries,” Suresh said.
Expat hiring in India for the EV sector has primarily been in technology and R&D, and the need for expertise also extends to manufacturing batteries, cell chemistry, etc. where skilled professionals are scarce in India, said Sangeeta Lal, senior partner-industrial practices (automotive), Transearch India. The US, Germany and South East Asian countries like Korea and Japan have emerged as markets where EV companies in India typically explore expat talent.
For top leadership/CXO roles, talent from Europe or the US is being recruited with compensation ranging from INR 6 crore to over INR 8 crore. Companies also offer ESOPs, especially for those in startups or soon-to-be IPO companies. Amol Gangaramany, partner-automotive practice at ABC Consultants, said expat hiring in EV is in areas like engineering, battery management systems, fuel cells and vehicle integration. There’s also an uptick in the passenger car segment, with the entry of players like JSW, BYD and Vinfast.
“India is one of the most exciting markets in terms of transition of internal combustion to EV, which attracts expats to work in India and show the same in their career profile,” said Gangaramany. Companies bullish Tata Motors passenger and electric vehicles business has recently hired expats for EV positions and is on the lookout for more.
“We are actively seeking expat talent for roles in engineering, software, R&D and design, and are considering talent from regions such as EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), South East Asia and the US,” said its vice-president-human resource Sitaram Kandi. Ather Energy is exploring expat talent to build capabilities in R&D as well as mechanical and software engineering.
“We could benefit from talent from the diverse perspective of larger markets, especially the US, Germany and South Korea,” said Sunitha Lal, CHRO at Ather. The EV firm recently hired someone from Hong Kong for its supply chain team.
Ultraviolette, which manufactures electrical motorbikes, has hired talent from Tesla, General Motors and Rivian in the US.
“We currently have a Thai national with prior experience with a Japanese automotive company working with us, and are seeing growing interest from expats from Germany, Japan, Austria and the US,” said Niraj Rajmohan, co-founder at Ultraviolette.
Last year, Yuma Energy, a joint venture between Yulu and US-based mobility technology company Magna International, brought on board Muthu Subramanian as managing director, who relocated from Michigan to Bengaluru.
“India’s rapidly growing EV market, combined with significant innovation and investments on the supply side, is attracting professionals worldwide,” said Amit Gupta, co-founder at Yulu.
