Biography: Ashwani Kumar Galhotra

Ashwani Kumar Galhotra is vice president, Product Development for Asia Pacific and Africa at Ford Motor Company, a position he has held since 2009. In his current role, he led the team that developed Ford’s aggressive plan to bring more than 50 new vehicles and powertrains to its Asia Pacific and Africa region by mid-decade.

Since joining the company in 1998, he has held various positions in product development and product strategy. Among other company assignments, he led the introduction of the Ford Ranger into South American markets in 1998; was the chief engineer for the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner in the early 2000s; and was vehicle programs director for five vehicle lines in the mid-2000s. In addition, his team oversaw the development of the all-new global compact pickup truck, the Ford Ranger.

Between 2005 and 2008, he was assigned to Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima, where he was responsible for Product Planning and Program Management worldwide.

He grew up in India and obtained a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.