Partha Datta appointed as President, MD of FCA India

Automaker FCA India on Wednesday said it has appointed Partha Datta as the President and Managing Director of the company with immediate effect. Datta succeeds Kevin Flynn who has been appointed as the President and Chief Executive Officer of FCA Australia.

FCA India currently sells models such as Jeep Compass, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler in the country. "With his extensive product development experience and intimate understanding of the local market, Datta is the perfect candidate to take over the India operation, particularly given our plans to continue localising new models and exporting Jeep vehicles to right-hand-drive markets around the world," FCA Asia Pacific Chief Operating Office Massimiliano Trantini said in a statement.

Datta, an American citizen of Indian origin, joined FCA in 1999 as an engineer. Over the past 20 years, he has worked across international industrial and commercial operations, governance, business development projects, engineering and vehicle integration. During his tenure at FCA, Datta was also the Director of Technical Centres in Chennai and Pune, as well as the Head of Product Engineering in China.

In his most recent role as Head of North American Vehicle Integration and Validation, Datta led a workforce of over 1,500 employees, and integration development activities for over 30 vehicle lines. He was responsible for all validation activities across all Jeep, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge and RAM models sold in North America.

Flynn was responsible for launching the Jeep brand in India, coupled with developing the manufacturing and export strategy for the new-generation Jeep Compass. "Flynn was instrumental in delivering both our commercial and manufacturing objectives over the past five years," Trantini said.

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