When did you join Alten, and what is your position?

I joined Alten in February 2020 as a Project Manager.

I started my career as a graduate Powertrain Diagnostic Engineer in India. Soon after, I moved to the USA and worked for an automotive company on their transmission project. Powertrain did not interest me much and so I decided to move to the UK and started working on Telematics & Connectivity Systems for a major UK Automotive company. I worked there for about 6 years, delivering three generations of Telematics Control Units in all their vehicle programmes. After that, I worked for another car company on their Infotainment & Connectivity system before joining Alten. I have had a wonderful professional journey so far working in different countries amongst people from different cultural backgrounds.

What project are you working on right now?

I am currently working for an automotive client on their Telematics and Connectivity system. My responsibility is to deliver Telematics and Connectivity systems into all vehicles from cradle to grave.

How do you support your customer from concept to launch?

I am responsible for defining the strategy including the list of features/services for Telematics & Connectivity system, to Sourcing the different Telematics components from suppliers. My responsibilities also involve integrating & validating the system and launching them into different vehicle programmes until it goes live on our customer cars. This includes supporting our customer in the entire vehicle development life cycle – concept definition, requirements management, integration, testing & reporting, launch support, programme management, supplier management, risk management and defect management.

What are the upcoming trends in the automotive industry?

I would say the top four trends that will shape the future of our automotive industry are:

• Go connected: Connectivity is the heart of “car of tomorrow” driving a huge number of innovations and making it possible for us to stay connected with the outside world when we are behind the wheel.
• Go driverless: Self-driving cars which were once found only in science fiction are now a reality. Reduced road accidents, no more traffic and mobility for more people!
• Go digital:  Digitalisation is changing the business models of the automotive industry – from asset-based to service & software-driven. Connected Car Data & Technologies are helping the automotive industry to create new values & services (not just selling cars) thereby increasing the revenue stream!
• Go Electric: With an ongoing drive of going greener & cleaner, electric vehicles are certainly the best way forward!