MAM
Highway Roop drives in Dharmesh Arora as CEO to steer its global ambitions in auto components
MUMBAI: For India’s auto component sector, the race is heating up—and Highway Roop just brought in a serious driver. The newly-formed platform has named industry veteran Dharmesh Arora as its CEO, marking a pivotal leadership shift as it gears up for scale and global competitiveness.
The appointment brings over three decades of expertise to Highway Roop Precision Technologies Limited, a merged platform of Highway Industries Limited and Roop Automotives Limited. Arora previously served as
Schaeffler Group CEO – Asia Pacific and led Schaeffler India for seven years before that. His career journey began in 1986 as a product engineer at Maruti Suzuki, later spanning leadership stints at General Motors across supply chain and procurement.
“We are excited that Dharmesh has joined as CEO of Highway Roop. He is a highly experienced professional who has a deep understanding of the automotive industry and brings decades of global experience in building and managing automotive businesses. Dharmesh will be focusing on accelerating growth, driving operational excellence, and leveraging innovation to deliver enhanced value for the Platform’s customers and strengthen its market position”, said Highway Roop non-executive chairman Mohit Oswal.
With the Indian automotive ecosystem entering an electrifying phase—literally and figuratively—Highway Roop’s timing is sharp. The company manufactures forged and precision-machined components, steering assemblies, and transmissions for electric, hybrid and ICE-powered vehicles. Under Arora’s stewardship, the company aims to add synergistic assets and expand its footprint across global markets.
“I am honored to join Highway Roop at such an exciting time for India’s automotive industry. The platform’s strong manufacturing capabilities, diverse product portfolio, and global customer base create a powerful foundation for expansion. I am looking forward to collaborating with the talented Highway Roop team to create long-term and sustainable value for its customers and stakeholders”, commented Arora.
Backed by a rich legacy and a forward-looking product lineup, Highway Roop appears ready to shift gears. With Arora at the helm, the company is positioning itself to play a leading role in the evolving auto supply chain—where scale, sustainability, and speed will define who leads and who lags.
Brands
OpenAI hires Nitin Bawankule as head of enterprise sales, India
Former AWS, Google and Disney+ Hotstar leader to drive AI adoption at scale
MUMBAI: OpenAI has appointed Nitin Bawankule as head of enterprise sales for India, strengthening its leadership bench as it deepens its push into one of the world’s fastest-growing AI markets.
Bawankule, who will join in mid-May, brings more than two decades of experience across cloud, media, and digital ecosystems. Most recently, he served at Amazon Web Services, where he led multiple high-growth verticals and helped accelerate enterprise adoption of cloud and AI solutions in India.
Announcing the move, OpenAI head of enterprise sales, India Nitin Bawankule said he is looking forward to helping organisations transition from “isolated AI pilots to company-wide transformation” and embedding AI into everyday workflows to unlock productivity and better decision-making.
Before AWS, Bawankule held senior leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company, where he led ad sales for Disney+ Hotstar and television networks, driving revenue growth across major sporting and entertainment properties. He also spent over eight years at Google, including a stint as country director for Google Cloud in India.
His appointment comes at a time when Indian enterprises are rapidly scaling AI adoption, moving beyond experimentation to integrating AI into core business functions. OpenAI’s decision to bring in a seasoned enterprise leader signals its intent to capture this opportunity and build deeper partnerships across industries.
With a strong track record in navigating major technology shifts, Bawankule is expected to play a key role in translating AI’s promise into practical, business-ready solutions for Indian companies.
As the race to operationalise AI gathers pace, OpenAI’s latest hire suggests it is gearing up not just to participate, but to lead from the front in India’s enterprise AI story.
