How Mahindra & Mahindra Is Reinventing Itself For The Digital Era

The auto to software conglomerate is taking a huge digital push that will enable it to play a bigger role in the increasingly connected world V S Parthasarathy, Group CIO & CFO, Mahindra & Mahindra

- Srikanth RP

As a group, the Mahindra & Mahindra has always taken a series of ambitious initiatives throughout its history. For instance, it was one of the first players to start creating electric vehicles, before the concept of electric vehicles became popular. More recently, the group announced the launch of India’s first driverless tractor, an innovation that can lead to improved productivity for farmers. Today, even as India looks to embrace electric vehicles in a big way in an aim to reduce dependence on import of oil, the Mahindra & Mahindra group is placed in a sweet spot.

In this age of digital disruption, the group is tinkering with emerging technologies as an early start can be a massive competitive advantage. For instance, it was one of the first conglomerates to experiment with Blockchain. The Mahindra & Mahindra Group collaborated with IBM to consider the potential of using Blockchain in supply chain finance. This was a pioneering initiative, as this was one of the first Blockchain-based supply chain finance solution in an industry other than banking.

Being a large conglomerate, the group understands the need of creating new business models using the power of technology. V S Parthasarathy, Group CIO & CFO, Mahindra & Mahindra, echoes the thoughts of his group when he says, “In this age of digital disruption, experiential commerce will change how the customer experiences commerce, which in turn, will have an impact on business models. Organizations have to think on how they can help customers experience a ‘wow’ factor. I want all of our industries to be the trendsetters in the digital world. My vision is that all our 21 industries will be digital world leaders in their own ways, and IT will be our partner in this.”