Hero MotoCorp appoints Harshavardhan Chitale as CEO

Homegrown two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp Ltd has appointed Harshavardhan Chitale as its new chief executive officer, effective January 5, 2026, following approval of the company’s board of directors.

Chitale’s appointment comes at a time when Hero MotoCorp has lost the top spot in India’s two-wheeler sales to Japan’s Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India in the month of August.

Hero MotoCorp, which had been India’s top-selling two-wheeler maker for decades, saw its market share shrink in recent years. In August 2025, Hero MotoCorp’s retail sales fell 5% year-on-year to 3.41 lakh units, according to data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). In comparison, Honda’s two-wheeler sales rose marginally by 0.1% year-on-year to 3.54 lakh units, making it India’s highest-selling two-wheeler manufacturer.

Chitale brings with him more than three decades of global leadership across both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) sectors, with expertise in industrial automation, lighting, information technology services, and digital transformation, Hero MotoCorp said in a statement.

As part of this leadership transition, Vikram Kasbekar, Acting CEO, will work closely with Harsh to ensure a smooth handover, the statement said. Kasbekar will continue to serve on the board of Hero MotoCorp as executive director and chief technology officer.

Kasbekar had taken over after Niranjan Gupta resigned as the CEO of Hero MotoCorp following a two-year stint. Gupta, who joined Hero MotoCorp in 2017 as the chief financial officer, was elevated as CEO, succeeding Pawan Munjal, who transitioned into an executive chairman role.

Chitale has held senior executive positions in publicly listed and multinational corporations, consistently delivering growth, profitability, and large-scale organisational renewal, the two-wheeler maker said. Chitale’s track record spans not only profitable growth and transformation at scale, but also the successful end-to-end integration of acquisitions, unlocking long-term value and synergies, it added.

Chitale served as the Global CEO of Signify’s 4 billion euro Professional Business, where he led a workforce of 12,000 employees across 70 countries, overseeing manufacturing, supply chain, product development, and digital transformation initiatives. “Under his stewardship, the business doubled profitability, pioneered large-scale innovation, and launched more than 100 products annually, including IoT-enabled lighting ecosystems,” the company said.

Prior to this, Chitale was the vice chairman and managing director of Philips Lighting India, where he successfully executed the spin-off into a standalone, public company and cemented market leadership with a share twice that of its nearest competitor. He has also held top leadership roles as CEO and Board Member at HCL Infosystems and Honeywell Automation India.

“Harsh’s outstanding track record in driving growth, fostering innovation, and leading global transformation makes him the ideal leader for Hero MotoCorp at this pivotal moment,” said Munjal.

“His vision and dynamism will accelerate our journey across electric and emerging mobility, premiumization, digitalization, sustainability, and organizational renewal — shaping the future of mobility and beyond,” Munjal added.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Chitale is also an active angel investor in emerging sectors such as electric vehicles, clean energy, health-tech, and agri-tech.