Ola's 425,000 sq. ft office campus in Bengaluru's Koramangala exemplifies how the company's 36-year-old Founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal sees the future of mobility in India.
Just like he consolidated different offices in the city into one campus, he wants to build a similar mobility ecosystem so that his ride-hailing, electric vehicle, used cars and other businesses can form a mobility super app of sorts. Impressive? Yes. But like most things in life, it's easier said than done. However, Aggarwal is unperturbed. "Any disruption will have its challenges. Maybe going forward, we have to become better at anticipating them," he says, in an interaction with Business Today for this story.
In February 2021, Aggarwal commenced the ambitious task of building the world's largest two-wheeler factory with 10 million annual capacity spread across 500 acres, 33 percent of which is fully operational today (the current conventional two-wheeler market leader, Hero MotoCorp, has an annual capacity of 9 million across eight factories). Ola's factory is expected to be near completion by the end of 2022. Aggarwal's vision of building a mobility ecosystem depends a lot on Ola Electric's success. But that journey has been far from sweet.
After having made bookings in July 2021, customers had to wait till December for the deliveries to begin. Then there were scores of customer complaints on social media platforms, safety concerns kept aggravating, and senior-level exits put a question mark on the company's work culture. Despite the troubles, Ola Electric has taken pole position in the nascent electric two-wheeler space in FY23 (see chart 'The Upstart'). To sustain this growth momentum, though, Aggarwal will need to course-correct as he moves to launch an electric car in two years.
TURBULENT START
Denne historien er fra June 26, 2022-utgaven av Business Today India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 26, 2022-utgaven av Business Today India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
"Moving to cloud helped us grow❞
What was the problem you were grappling with?
She's Got Time
MORE WOMEN ARE BECOMING WATCH CONNOISSEURS, SEEKING OUT BOTH JEWELLED AND TECHNICAL WATCHES FOR THEIR STYLE AND CRAFTSMANSHIP
RISING STAR
PARUL GULATI IS a name that's been steadily gaining prominence in the Indian entertainment industry after she appeared on season 2 of Shark Tank in 2023. She has become a multifaceted personality who effortlessly transitions between acting and entrepreneurship.
Building on a Legacy
WHEN ZAHABIYA KHORAKIWALA stepped into her role as Managing Director of Wockhardt Hospitals over a decade ago, she confronted formidable challenges that have since turned into achievements.
LEADER IN INNOVATION
AS FEDEX'S PRESIDENT (Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa), Kami Viswanathan has a lot on her plate.
WAITING IN THE WINGS
Here are those who missed out as they have not yet completed a year in office; they'll be strong contenders in 2025
A DECENT PROPOSAL
IN TODAY'S WORLD OF TRYING TO CREATE AN EQUITABLE SPACE, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR HOUSEHOLDS. WOMEN ARE ENCOURAGED TO HAVE THEIR OWN SAVINGS POOL AND INVESTMENT ROUTINE. GIVEN THIS, HOW SHOULD FUTURE BRIDES APPROACH FINANCIAL PLANNING?
Women and the STEM Bias
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN STEM WILL NOT ONLY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS, BUT ALSO STRENGTHEN THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY, DRIVING INNOVATION AND PROGRESS.
ROCKET WOMEN
WOMEN IN INDIA ARE NOT ONLY VENTURING INTO SPACE BUT ARE ALSO STARTING TO SPEARHEAD THE COUNTRY'S EFFORTS IN THE GLOBAL SPACE RACE.
ONE STEP FORWARD
THE NUMBER OF WOMEN INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS IS GROWING STEADILY, BUT IT'S A LONG WAY FROM GENDER PARITY. MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO BREAK THE GLASS CEILING IN BOARDROOMS.
