Mercedes-Benz India has announced a series of key leadership changes in its Sales & Marketing function, reinforcing its ambition to deliver world-class, digitally enabled customer experiences while deepening focus on retail finance and people development. Effective 1 September 2026, the new appointments align with the brand’s strategy of using real-time data, AI deployment, and integrated business capabilities to create more personalised and seamless journeys for its luxury customers in India.
Strategic shift towards data, AI and integrated customer journeys
Announcing the changes, Brendon Sissing, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India, emphasized that people remain the driving force behind Mercedes-Benz’s customer centricity and sustained success. He underlined that the new structure is designed to sharpen the company’s ability to use real-time data strategies, AI-led tools and integrated business capabilities to shape exceptional customer experiences, while simultaneously building future-ready leaders through cross-functional exposure.
The reorganization signals Mercedes-Benz India’s intent to move beyond traditional marketing and sales into a deeply interconnected ecosystem where digital touchpoints, retail finance, pre-owned cars and customer experience are all aligned. By leveraging data, predictive insights and AI, the company aims to anticipate customer needs, deliver highly personalized engagement and strengthen loyalty across the ownership lifecycle.
Nandita Godbole appointed Head of Marketing
At the heart of this transformation is the appointment of Nandita Godbole, currently General Manager, Digital Customer Unit, as the new Head of Marketing, succeeding Amrit Baid. Nandita brings extensive experience across Marketing, Retail Sales and the Digital Customer Unit, with a strong track record of driving growth through customer-centric and data-led strategies.
She has played a pivotal role in enabling AI-led enhancements in Mercedes-Benz’s customer journey, helping transition from disconnected, siloed touchpoints to seamless, intelligent experiences. Under her leadership, marketing will increasingly rely on real-time data and predictive insights to understand customer behaviour, tailor communications and create meaningful engagement at every stage—from discovery and purchase to ownership and upgrade.
Her mandate reflects Mercedes-Benz India’s growing emphasis on embedding AI into core marketing and customer experience functions, ensuring that every interaction feels relevant, timely and personalized.
Amrit Baid to lead Retail Finance & Pre-Owned Cars business
After a successful tenure heading Marketing & Customer Experience, which featured standout product launches and landmark brand campaigns such as “Dreams Day”, “Wish Box” and “GTribe”, Amrit Baid will now lead the strategically important Retail Finance & Pre-Owned Cars verticals.
Mercedes-Benz India’s Retail Finance arm has become a critical pillar of its business, supporting more than 50% of total new car sales through innovative and popular financing solutions like “Star Agility”. This vertical has grown to a portfolio exceeding INR 15,000 crore, demonstrating how flexible finance offerings can significantly lower entry barriers for luxury car ownership.
Amrit’s new role is aimed at further integrating Retail Finance into the customer journey, ensuring that financing options are not treated as an add-on, but as an integral, personalized part of the buying experience—from model selection and configuration to purchase, upgrade and even pre-owned transitions. At the same time, the Pre-Owned Cars business remains a key lever for attracting new customers into the brand and offering existing owners structured options to upgrade within the Mercedes-Benz ecosystem.
Leadership transitions in Product Planning and EV Sales
Alongside marketing and finance, Mercedes-Benz India is also reshaping leadership in product and sales planning. Jamsheed Bhadha, currently General Manager, Product Planning & Sales Planning, will move to a new role within Mercedes-Benz in Dubai, reflecting the company’s global culture of developing internal talent and offering international exposure to high-performing leaders.
He will be succeeded by Sanjay Kochar, currently GM, TEV (traditional engine vehicles) & BEV (battery electric vehicles) Sales. Sanjay’s experience across both internal combustion and electric portfolios positions him well to lead product and sales planning in a market where customer preferences are rapidly evolving and electrification is gaining momentum.
This transition underlines Mercedes-Benz India’s intention to tightly integrate product strategy with real-world sales and customer feedback, ensuring that future offerings are aligned with both global innovation and local expectations.
Culture of internal talent development and cross-functional leadership
The organizational changes highlight Mercedes-Benz’s longstanding global culture of promoting internal talent, fostering cross-functional leadership and preparing teams for future roles. By moving leaders across Marketing, Digital, Retail Finance, Pre-Owned and Product Planning, the company is building a cadre of executives who understand the business end-to-end an essential capability in an increasingly complex and competitive luxury automotive landscape.
Brendon Sissing acknowledged the invaluable contributions and passion of the leadership team in making Mercedes-Benz India the country’s most desirable luxury brand, and expressed confidence that their expanded roles will shape the next chapter of innovation-led growth.
140 years of innovation: context for India’s transformation
These organizational changes come during Mercedes-Benz’s global celebration of “140 years of innovation”. Since Carl Benz’s patent for the first automobile in 1886 and Gottlieb Daimler’s motorised carriage shortly thereafter, Mercedes-Benz has continuously reinvented mobility from early combustion engines to today’s intelligent, safe electric vehicles like the new GLC and the award-winning new CLA.
To mark this milestone, the brand is driving three new S-Class saloons on a transcontinental journey to 140 locations worldwide, each showcasing its technology, heritage and pioneering spirit. This global narrative of innovation forms the backdrop for Mercedes-Benz India’s own transformation, as the company pivots towards AI-driven experiences, electric mobility, and integrated digital and retail models.
Mercedes-Benz India’s strong local footprint
Mercedes-Benz India has played a pioneering role in the country’s luxury car segment, completing 30 years of operations in 2024. Its world-class manufacturing facility in Chakan near Pune spans 100 acres and carries an investment of over INR 3,000 crore—the highest by any luxury OEM in India. The plant is part of the global CKD production network and has the largest installed capacity among luxury carmakers in the country.
The company also has the widest luxury network footprint in India, with more than 140 touchpoints across over 50 cities, including exclusive AMG Performance Centres. Its portfolio ranges from locally produced sedans like the C-Class, E-Class LWB, S-Class and Mercedes-Maybach S 580, to SUVs such as the GLA, GLC, GLE and GLS, and a robust line-up of electric vehicles including the new CLA BEV, EQS 580 sedan, EQS SUV and the Made-in-India EQS 580. The CBU range includes icons like the G 450d, GLS Maybach and a full AMG performance line-up.
Mercedes-Benz India also pioneered the “Retail of the Future” direct-to-customer business model, one of the first markets globally to adopt it. Under this model, the brand has already sold around 80,000 new Mercedes-Benz vehicles, redefining transparency, pricing and customer experience.
Looking ahead: innovation-led, customer-first growth
With these new appointments, Mercedes-Benz India is clearly signalling its next phase: a deeply customer-centric, data-driven and AI-empowered business where marketing, finance, product and digital all work together to deliver seamless, personalized luxury experiences.
By integrating Retail Finance into the core customer journey, strengthening AI-led marketing, and aligning product planning with the realities of TEV and BEV sales, the company is positioning itself not just as a luxury car maker, but as a holistic mobility and experience brand ready for the next decade of innovation, electrification and customer expectation in India.
