Maruti Suzuki India Ltd announced the appointment Sunil Kakkar as its additional director and whole-time director, effectively making him the first Indian employee to have been nominated as a director on its board by parent Suzuki Motor Corp.

Kakkar will take up the designation of director (corporate planning) from 1 April for a three-year term ending on 31 March 2028.

With the changes in the leadership, the Maruti Suzuki India board will consist of six Japanese and six Indians, highlighting the importance of India in the company’s decision-making landscape.

The board also approved a change in designation for Kenichiro Toyofuku, who will transition from director (corporate planning) to director (sustainability) on the same date.

Kakkar has spent nearly 35 years at Maruti Suzuki India.

He currently leads the company’s corporate planning unit as senior executive officer, and is also a member of the executive committee.

His work includes driving strategic planning, organizational restructuring, and localization initiatives. Over the years, he has played a key role in the company’s supply chain management and joint ventures with international partners.

An alumnus of IIT Kanpur with an MBA from the Asian Institute of Technology, Kakkar has held leadership positions in supply chain management and plant operations. He has also contributed to industry bodies, serving as chairman of SIAM’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat Sourcing Group and ASSOCHAM’s National Council on Auto & Auto Ancillaries.

Maruti to invest $864 million in new plant

In a separate development, India’s top carmaker said it will invest Rs7,400 crore (about $864 million) to set up a third plant at an existing facility in Haryana state.

The new plant will take the overall production mcapacity at the facility to 750,000 vehicles per year by 2029, the carmaker said on Wednesday.

The auto maker has two plants at Kharkhoda one of which is operational while the other is under construction. All three plants are capable of manufacturing 250,000 vehicles a year. The additional capacity will allow it to meet growing demand for its vehicles, including abroad, Maruti said.