Piyush Arora takes charge of sales and marketing at Škoda Auto Volkswagen India

MUMBAI: Škoda Auto Volkswagen India has reshuffled its top table, and the changes tell a story of consolidation rather than churn. Jan Bures, executive director for sales, marketing and digital, is wrapping up his stint in India and moving on to a new role at Volkswagen AG from September 2026, staying within the Group but swapping the Indian market for pastures elsewhere. The company was quick to thank him for his contribution to the Group’s growth in India, sending him off with the usual well-wishes for the next assignment.

Filling the gap is no outsider. Piyush Arora, already managing director and chief executive of Škoda Auto Volkswagen India, will now add executive director for sales and marketing to his plate, effectively concentrating both roles under one leader. The company frames the move as one designed to sharpen strategic alignment, speed up decision-making and tighten accountability, corporate speak for fewer layers between strategy and execution.

The reshuffle lands at a moment when SAVWIPL has plenty to show for itself. The group, which oversees six brands in India, Volkswagen, Škoda, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche, has been in the country for over 25 years, having started its journey in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, formerly Aurangabad. It now runs two manufacturing plants, including one at Chakan, Pune, with a combined annual capacity of 315,000 units, and has shipped over 725,000 vehicles to more than 40 countries as part of its export hub strategy. The group crossed the two-million mark for locally produced vehicles in 2025, a milestone it isn’t shy about flagging, while deepening localisation through its INDIA 2.0 project and rolling out the Group’s first sub-4-metre SUV for Indian buyers. Locally built models, the Škoda Kylaq, Kushaq, Slavia, and the Volkswagen Taigun and Virtus, have together crossed 600,000 units.

The group now runs nearly 700 customer touchpoints across the country and employs over 4,000 people, a workforce that has helped it pick up recognition as a Top Employer and one of HR Asia’s Best Companies to Work for in Asia for three years running, along with ET HC MENA honours for two consecutive years. With Arora now holding the reins on both operations and sales, the message from SAVWIPL is unmistakable: fewer cooks, same broth, and a clear bet that a tighter leadership structure is what the Indian market needs next.