Puneet Anand has stepped down from Hyundai Motor India after nearly 29 years.
His last working day was November 6. The veteran executive served as associate vice-president and vertical head overseeing corporate affairs, corporate communications, and social initiatives. Anand is expected to remain within the broader automotive sector, though his next assignment will shift outside the passenger car business. His successor at the country's second-largest passenger carmaker has not yet been named.
He joined the South Korean carmaker in January 1998—the exact year Hyundai entered Indian driveways with the tallboy Santro hatchback.
Over nearly three decades, Anand steered several critical commercial operations. He handled national assignments spanning customer care, service marketing, training frameworks, and national sales strategy. In April 2024, the carmaker elevated him to run corporate communications and social initiatives, before broadening his mandate to command corporate affairs.
When Hyundai Motor India concluded its public listing on domestic stock exchanges later in 2024, Anand took to LinkedIn to trace the firm's run from an ambitious newcomer with a single hatchback to a listed heavyweight.
| Executive Milestone | Detail & Timeline |
|---|---|
| Joining Date | January 1998 (Santro Launch Year) |
| Last Working Day | November 6 |
| Portfolios Managed | Customer Care, Service Marketing, Training, Sales Strategy, Corporate Affairs, CSR |
| Key Regulatory Focus | Automotive Policy, Clean Transport, EV Standards, Production Investments |
| Next Industry Step | Automotive sector outside passenger vehicles |
Anand operated as Hyundai's principal interlocutor with central and state authorities on regulatory frameworks and factory investments. He represented the automaker during industry consultations over EV transition mandates, vehicle safety norms, and cleaner emission roadmaps.
His portfolio was central to Hyundai’s manufacturing breakout beyond its legacy production hub in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. Anand joined company leadership in presenting the development roadmap for the acquired Talegaon plant near Pune to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior administrative officials. During that expansion pitch, the carmaker pledged ₹56 crore toward statewide social initiatives covering healthcare, environmental conservation, and social inclusion.
Market Context: Anand's departure deprives Hyundai of its most enduring institutional voice at a critical operational juncture. With the Talegaon assembly line set to absorb fresh production targets and the brand navigating competitive EV rollouts against domestic rivals, the carmaker must now install a new point person to handle state negotiations and national policy dialogue.