Volkswagen Group-owned automobile giant Skoda’s Indian unit has sought to give a boost to its sales figures by altering the top management. Marketing, human resource and finance are the likely departments set to see major reshuffling, giving way to a completely new line of thinking and guidance. Due to the low level of sales that has resulted in Skoda delivering its worst figures in almost half-a-decade, the Czech Republic-based firm has decided to take some hard decisions. Ashutosh Dixit (Director for service, sales, marketing) and Tarun Jha (Marketing head) are the major new additions in the company.
A large part of the changing in the management has been done internally, thereby ensuring that experienced heads are running the show in times of great adversity. For instance, both Dixit and Jha were a part of the company headquarters before becoming employees of Skoda India. Sudhir Rao, the Managing Director, said that fresh perspective and strengthening of fundamentals are the main reasons behind these decisions. Speaking in an interview, he said, "One of the biggest focus we have is of customer satisfaction and building a long-term product strategy for profitable growth for Skoda in India. Now we have exactly the kind of people we need to push that message through and live it, day in and day out."
The sales of Skoda India have significantly dropped in recent years despite touching the 40,000 units per annum figure once or twice. Experts feel that the success of Skoda in India depends heavily on the management and the adjustment of the portfolio as per the local demand.
