Highlights
- Pankaj Gupta worked at Jamna Auto for three years,
- He has joined as Head-Finance, SmartE,
- SmartE was founded in 2014 and operates EV fleet across Delhi-NCR,
- Previously, industry veterans Sanjay Bhan & BVR Subbu joined Ola Electric,
New Delhi: After three years of his service to Jamna Auto Industries, Pankaj Gupta is joining SmartE, a Delhi-based fleet operating electric vehicle startup.
He has joined as Head of Finance, various sources aware of the matter confirmed to ETAuto.
Early March, ETAuto reported that Gupta, who was the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Jamna Auto had resigned from the company where he was supposed to work till March 14, 2020.
Prior to Jamna Auto, Gupta worked for almost five years in SKH Magneti Marelli Exhaust Systems and Magneti Marelli India as CFO and Head of Treasury.
Founded in 2014, SmartE operates a fleet of more than 1,000 e-rickshaws in Delhi NCR.
Interestingly, the Indian automotive industry has witnessed multiple exits of industry veterans in recent times, who later joined the new-age EV startups.
Table: Auto industry veterans moving to startups
| Resignation | Name | Appointment |
| Jamna Auto Industries | Pankaj Gupta | SmartE |
| Hero MotoCorp | Sanjay Bhan | Ola Electric Mobility |
| Hyundai India | BVR Subbu | Ola Electric Mobility |
In January 2020, Sanjay Bhan, after a 30 year-long stint with Hero MotoCorp joined Ola Electric Mobility (OEM), the battery-powered commercial arm of Ola Cabs, a Bangalore based ridesharing company.
Similarly, automobile industry veteran and ex-President of Hyundai India BVR Subbu joined Ola Electric as its board member in November 2019.
Indian automotive industry witnessing its steepest decline for the past decade is probably making it synonymous with the industry leaders’ exits at the top managerial positions.