Dr. Lakshmi Venu has taken over as the Managing Director of Sundaram-Clayton Limited (SCL), one of India’s leading auto components manufacturers. The decision of elevating Dr. Lakshmi from her previous role of Joint Managing Director to MD was taken at the company’s latest board meeting.
Dr. Lakshmi Venu has been leading Sundaram Clayton from the forefront with aplomb for over a decade now. She has been the lead architect of establishing Sundaram Clayton’s global footprint. Her decision to set up a foundry in the US three years ago in 2019 in Dorchester, South Carolina was almost prescient, as most US-based customers were looking for on-shore foundry units to reduce supply chain risks and curtail carbon footprint. She managed the company’s turnaround to make it a competitive foundry in the world, and has built deep customer relationships with Cummins, Hyundai, Volvo, Paccar and Daimler.
R Gopalan, Chairman, Sundaram-Clayton, said, “Lakshmi brings deep customer understanding and has developed strong relationships with global customers. She has successfully chartered a strategy to have a global footprint to build competitive advantage. I am confident that she will continue to transform Sundaram-Clayton into a world class auto component manufacturer.”
Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, Sundaram-Clayton, said, “Lakshmi’s focus and dedicated efforts over the last ten years have seen the Company do a turnaround in quality, profitability, and building relationship with OEMs. She has spearheaded the establishment of our US operations which has commenced activities recently. We are confident that under her leadership, Sundaram-Clayton will see its rise globally.”
Accepting her new role, Dr. Lakshmi Venu said, “It is indeed an honour to lead Sundaram Clayton to its next phase of growth. The world is changing very rapidly and disruptions in the automotive industry are becoming de rigueur. The future promises to be exciting, challenging and presents new opportunities. We have an excellent team and together we look forward to strengthening Sundaram Clayton both in India and globally. I hope to live up to the faith the shareholders, the board of directors, the employees and the management of the company have bestowed upon me. I am grateful for the mentorship that I have received from Chairman Emeritus Mr. Venu Srinivasan and Chairman R. Gopalan who will always remain our beacon lights.”