Ather Energy ropes in Venkatesh Padmanabhan as COO

NEW DELHI Bengaluru-based electric two- wheeler startup Ather Energy, in which Hero MotoCorp is an investor, announced appointment of Venkatesh Padmanabhan as its Chief Operating Officer on Tuesday.

Padmanabhan, the former CEO of Royal Enfield, will head supply chain, quality, manufacturing, and service delivery at Ather.

Ather Energy CEO Tarun Mehta said: "He (Padmanabhan) has a strong knowledge base of operational requirements for an automotive company, specially two-wheelers. His network and his experience in the industry is a valuable asset for a young company."

His exposure to manufacturing processes in India will prove a strategic advantage as the company close in on production of the S340 model, Mehta added.

Padmanabhan is an auto industry veteran having worked with the likes of General Motors and erstwhile Daimler Chrysler.

Ather Energy has so far received funding from Hero MotoCorp, Tiger Global and Flipkart founders Sachin and Binny Bansal.