Automobile industry veteran BVR Subbu joins Ola Electric’s board

Ola Electric Mobility, a unit of cab-hailing major Ola, has appointed  BVR Subbu, former president of South Koren automotive major Hyundai Motors,  as a board member.

Subbu currently manages a boutique strategy-consulting firm Beyond Visual Range. He advises global private equity funds and serves as a board member at various automotive and technology companies, Ola Electric said in a statement. 

“His [Subbu’s] deep understanding of the mobility space and consumers will be very valuable to us in our journey to build electric mobility for India and the world,” said Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO, Ola. 

Subbu, who has been in the industry for about four decades,  began his career with the Tata Administrative Service. He is best known for his stewardship of Hyundai Motors India and helping the company expand in the local automotive industry, the statement added.

This is the second such appointment in recent months. Ola had roped in former General Motors (GM) executive Jaime Ardila as a board member in October this year. 

The company, held by its parent Bangalore-based ANI Technologies, is currently running several pilots across India to deploy electric vehicles and charging solutions and claims to bring one million electric vehicles on Indian roads by 2022. 

In October, the Competition Commission finally approved automakers Hyundai and Kia’s $300 million investment in Ola and its electric mobility arm.

In July, the company entered the unicorn club after raising $250 million from the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank.

Also, Ratan Tata had invested an undisclosed amount in Ola Electric, in May this year.