At Tata Motors (India, South Africa, Nepal and Latin America)

Puranik embarked on his career with Tata Motors in 1997, making his mark during a commendable 22-year tenure with one of India’s largest automotive giants. His time at Tata Motors provided him with a wealth of exposure in various departments, including customer support, strategy, sales, marketing, and brand management.

During his tenure, Puranik successfully handled key countries such as South Africa, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, and Uruguay, enabling Tata Motors to achieve remarkable results in both sales and service sectors. He played a pivotal role in establishing Tata Cars in South Africa as part of a greenfield project. Additionally, he significantly improved the market share of Tata Cars in Nepal and Bangladesh by an impressive 13%. Puranik’s leadership was instrumental in organizing the Tata Motors’ pavilion at prominent international motor shows, including:

• JIMS (Johannesburg International Motor Show) at South Africa,
• The Geneva Motors Show at Switzerland,
• NADA SHOW in Nepal

His capabilities shined most in Nepal, where he introduced the innovative “Tata Motors Car Mela” concept, a retail-focused event that successfully ran for seven seasons. His inventive “Test Drive for Education” campaign in Nepal garnered 10,000 test drives and 500 retail sales in just three months.

Under Puranik’s guidance, Tata Motors’ launches in Nepal received esteemed recognition, winning awards such as the Asian Leadership Awards Marketing Campaign of the Year for the launch of Tata’s ‘Zest’ in Nepal and the CMO Asia Awards Marketing Campaign of the Year for the Tata Bolt in Nepal. He played an instrumental role in the development of Tata Motors’ new brand identity, “Connecting Aspirations,” which resulted in an enhanced brand perception, increased brand metrics such as NPS (Net Promoter Score), consideration, top-of-mind awareness, and spontaneous awareness. Additionally, he played a key role in designing and developing the new dealer corporate identity for Tata Motors’ passenger and commercial vehicles, as well as the brand identity for the electric vehicle vertical.

Throughout his tenure with Tata Motors, Puranik received the prestigious “Three Cheers” award five times, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the company from 2012 to 2018.

At IME Automobile Division (Nepal)

Presently, Hemant Puranik serves as the Group CEO of the IME Automobile Division at IME Group in Nepal for the past three years. The IME Automobile Division serves as the distributor of prominent brands such as Ashok Leyland, Escorts, Vert Equipment, Hyundai Heavy Equipment, and Raft Motors (Electric Vehicles) in Nepal.

Upon assuming the role of CEO at IME Motors, Puranik steered the company away from significant challenges, including declining sales and fierce competition from international rivals. Under his leadership, the company adopted a customer-centric approach, prioritizing a deep understanding of evolving consumer needs and delivering tailored solutions. Through comprehensive market research and analysis of customer feedback, IME Motors successfully introduced services and enhancements that resonated with their target audience, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Under Puranik’s guidance, the company experienced steady growth, surpassing competitors in key regions and segments. Ashok Leyland’s market share in the addressable segment surged from 9% to 28%, while Escorts’ market share improved from 8% to 21%. Consequently, Ashok Leyland and Escorts have ascended to become the second-ranked players in their respective industries, having previously held the fourth and third positions.

Puranik’s remarkable achievements have garnered widespread recognition, and he has been bestowed with numerous accolades, including the prestigious “Automobile CEO of the Year” award from the prominent industry publication “Auto Nepal.” His success story serves as an inspiration for aspiring leaders in the automobile industry, showcasing the transformative power of visionary leadership, strategic thinking, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

He is an accomplished professional with a strong track record, boasting over 25 years of outstanding experience in overseeing overall company operations and resources. His extensive travels across India, Africa, Latin America, and Asia have endowed him with a profound understanding of diverse cultures. Puranik possesses a keen acumen for identifying business opportunities and devising strategies to capitalize on them. His true value lies in his exceptional execution skills, No matter what the task is, he executes – per brief, within the deadline, and within budget.

Throughout his illustrious career spanning over 25 years, Puranik has been instrumental in promoting several Indian automobile brands, including Ashok Leyland, Escorts, Tata Motors, Vert Equipment, and Raft Motors across three continents and eleven countries.