FCA appoints Raghavendra Kulkarni as its Head, After Sales

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles India, in its bid to enhance and improve its After Sales operations in the country has announced the appointment of Mr. Raghavendra Kulkarni as the new Head of After sales, effective immediately. A Mechanical Engineer by education, Mr.Kulkarni comes with 32 years of experience in After Sales and Customer Satisfaction, having worked with a number of automobile majors in India and overseas.

Kulkarni will be part of the FCA India Leadership Team and will report directly to Mr. Kevin Flynn – President and Managing Director, FCA India.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Kevin Flynn, said, “Raghavendra joins the FCA India family at the right time, as we are about to go to market with the Made in India Jeep® Compass. His vast experience in After Sales will be immensely valuable to us as we are moving the needle in strengthening our Service network with Mopar across the country. We welcome him and look forward to his expertise in taking our Service operations to the next level.”

As per the statement made by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Raghavendra Kulkarni will be responsible for the entire After Sales Operations that includes providing support to Fiat as well as Jeep customers. He will oversee the implementation and expansion of Mopar workshops across India, and also strategize to introduce innovations in Service operations, to ensure customer satisfaction. Setting up of new workshops and driving all functions of FCA’s Service operations will be a major part of his responsibilities.

Fiat is currently a dying brand in India. With no new launches in the horizon and with products which are almost a decade old and a rehash of each other, it is high time FCA introduces new products in the range. The launch of Jeep branded SUVs especially the Jeep Compass should help the company gain some traction in the country. A no nonsense, practical and affordable service experience is what is necessary for the customers for the brand’s revival. Mr.Kulkarni’s initiatives should be very much important in this regard.

In the past Kulkarni has worked for manufacturers such as Mahindra & Mahindra, Toyota, General Motors and Bentley, and also Volkswagen India for a significant duration. He has worked in International positions in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Africa and China.