Mr. Harish Chavan

Mr. Harish Chavan is Chief Purchase Officer for the Auto & Farm Sector (AFS) at Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. He is member of Group Executive Board of Mahindra and also serves as director on boards of several Mahindra Group companies.

In this capacity, he is responsible for building strategic partnerships with suppliers to build resilient supply chains for different AFS businesses and deliver cost efficiencies, with steadfast commitment to sustainability & environmental stewardship across the supply chain. Purchasing responsibility includes automotive parts, capital goods, factory equipment, software, engineering services and indirect spends including services. Additionally, he is responsible for the Spares Business Unit of M&M.

Harish brings wealth of experience in diverse business functions and multicultural business environments, both in India and internationally. With a career spanning over 28 years at Mahindra, he has held different roles in the domestic and international businesses including business development assignments aimed at inorganic growth, alliances and partnerships, globally.

Prior to the current role, he was Chief Executive Officer of Swaraj Tractors business and was instrumental in aggressive market share growth leading to benchmark financial performance in the industry. At Swaraj, he championed thought leadership in Sustainable Agriculture through agri mechanisation, and this formed key pillar of long  term strategy for the business.

Earlier, he was Chief of International Operations for Farm Equipment Sector (FES), where he was responsible for the growth of the international business and led various transformative efforts & change management initiatives in international subsidiaries. He also had an expat stint in China as President & CEO of M&M’s China JVs for over five years.

Beyond his role at M&M, he has actively participated in industry associations and held roles like Vice President of Tractor & Mechanisation Association(TMA), member of management committee of TMA , Chairman of State Council of Punjab and member of Northern Regional Council of CII.

He was awarded the ‘Business Leader of the Year 2023’ by the Times Group Magazine for Manufacturing Industry ‘The Machinist’ for his contributions to  the growth of the Swaraj brand, his commitment to sustainable technologies and fostering diversity and inclusion.

Harish holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from VJTI, Mumbai, and has pursued MBA from NMIMS, Mumbai.