The Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC), the apex body responsible for skilling in India’s automotive sector, has announced two key leadership appointments aimed at strengthening the country’s workforce readiness for emerging mobility technologies. Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Head – Corporate Affairs at Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), has been appointed Vice Chairperson, while Rama Shankar Pandey, former CEO of Tata Green Batteries and ASDC Governing Council member, has been named Treasurer.
Welcoming the new leaders, ASDC Chairperson Vinkesh Gulati said their combined strengths would help shape a future-ready automotive workforce. “Their expertise across manufacturing, sustainability, skilling and policy will significantly strengthen the Council’s mission,” he said.
Experience
With nearly 35 years of industry experience, Nagaraj has played a significant role in customer service, brand strategy, motorsports, road safety and industry policy. He also serves as Co-Chair of SIAM’s Skilling Group and is part of several Ministry of Heavy Industries’ core groups, contributing to the Automotive Mission Plan III. His appointment comes at a time when India’s mobility landscape is being reshaped by electrification, digitalisation and sustainability.
Pandey brings over 28 years of leadership experience in the automotive and component industries. A strong advocate of technician empowerment, road safety and customer rights, he has worked extensively with platforms such as FICCI, CII and ACMA. His financial and strategic expertise is expected to further reinforce ASDC’s role in developing a robust, green-mobility-focused skilling ecosystem.
Nagaraj said skilling would be central to India’s mobility transition: “As the sector undergoes unprecedented change, I look forward to building competencies that support India’s mobility transformation.”
Pandey emphasised the need to make skills aspirational. “We must shift from the obsession with degrees and designations to celebrating skills and dignity of purpose,” he said, noting that this philosophy would guide his work at ASDC.
