German tier 1 supplier Continental has announced that Christopher Marsh will take charge as the head of the Surface Solutions business and the Pune Plant in India on October 1, 2023. He succeeds Landry Tchapda who now at the end of his assignment has been assigned another responsibility within the organisation and is moving onward to Australia.
Prashanth Doreswamy, President and CEO, Continental India said, “Continental welcomes Chris and wishes him the very best for his new role. His extensive experience in both global and local markets renders him a highly valuable asset to our company. As we continue to pursue excellence in our manufacturing endeavours, we are confident that Chris will play a pivotal role in guiding the business area toward greater success. We look forward to his leadership and contributions as we build on our commitment to delivering high-quality solutions to our valued customers.”
“Continental extends its sincere gratitude to Landry Tchapda for his invaluable contributions since the inception of the Greenfield Plant. We wish him the best for his future endeavours,” added Doreswamy.
Christopher Marsh “As India is an important market, my aim is to contribute significantly to our business growth, and further advance the company’s localisation efforts. Leveraging my extensive experience, my goal is to strengthen the company’s sustainability initiatives and chart a strategic path for growth, both for India as well as global markets.”
He comes with over 15 extensive experience in the automotive manufacturing industry, and has worked for organisations such as Dana Axle and Jaguar Land Rover. He moved from the UK in 2018 to Pune, supporting Jaguar Land Rovers’ strategic India Operations.
With various leadership roles and his understanding of the Indian market, Marsh will be instrumental in expanding the business areas existing connections, and operations in the country. He holds a degree in Supply Chain Management.
Landry Tchapda assumed his role as the Head of the Surface Solutions business and the Pune Plant in 2018 with the announcement of the groundbreaking ceremony. In his 5-year assignment, he was responsible for the greenfield establishment, the inauguration of the plant, and building the customer portfolio. He was also instrumental in establishing production and sales objectives and setting a remarkable exposure for the business.
The ContiTech Pune Plant was set-up in 2018 to manufacture surface materials for passenger vehicles as well as two-wheelers. The groundbreaking ceremony of the plant took place in 2018 and it was inaugurated in April 2022 under the leadership of Landry Tchapda. The company made an initial investment of about Rs 200 crore (around 20 million Euro) which covered facilities and machinery, Continental produces premium surface materials for car interiors, including electric vehicles, as well as two-wheeler seats, mainly catering to the domestic market and exports.
The 149,000 square feet facility has an annual capacity of 5 million square meters of surface material which can be scaled up to 10 million square meters. The products produced offer both, luxury and comfort to the customers, improving the overall driving experience.
