
BMW Group appoints Hardeep Singh Brar as President & CEO India, says country ‘pillar' of long-term growth strategy
Brar succeeds Vikram Pawah, who is taking charge as Chief Executive Officer of BMW Group Australia and New Zealand, BMW Group India said in a statement.
Commenting on the appointment, BMW Group Senior Vice President, Region Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Jean-Philippe Parain said, "India is among the fastest growing markets for BMW Group and an important pillar of our long-term success strategy for the region.
"Hardeep Singh Brar holds vast expertise and an intricate understanding of the Indian automotive industry to lead this dynamic market and strengthen BMW Group's operations here, " he added.
Brar brings more than 30 years of experience in the Indian automotive industry, having held numerous senior management positions.
He most recently served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Kia India, the statement said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
13 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Paying only minimum due on your credit card? You could be in a debt trap
A credit card debt trap occurs when you are paying only the minimum due, or Using one card to pay off another. To avoid this, spend no more than 30 per cent of the card limit each month Himali Patel Mumbai Listen to This Article Credit card delinquencies in the 91–360 days overdue category rose 44.3 per cent year-on-year, from Rs 23,475.6 crore in March 2024 to Rs 33,886.5 crore in March 2025, according to a report by CRIF High Mark. These figures underline the need for customers to be more cautious in their use of credit cards. Reasons for rising NPAs A major reason for rising credit card NPAs is the minimum payment mindset. 'According to a report by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), only 40 per cent of Indian credit card holders repay their full outstanding amount every month. This encourages prolonged debt cycles

Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
ET Market Watch: Nifty below 24,800; Trump's tariff rattles Indian markets
Transcript Hi, you're listening to ET Markets Watch, I'm Neha Vashishth, here's your quick market wrap: Indian markets trimmed early losses but still ended lower on Thursday. Sensex dropped 296 points, Nifty closed below 24,800. That's a nearly 3% fall for July overall! The big trigger? Trump's 25% tariff threat on Indian exports starting August 1, plus an unspecified penalty. Investors took it as a negotiation tactic — not a done deal yet. Textile stocks tanked: Welspun, KPR Mills, Gokaldas Exports — all fell up to 5%. Adani Enterprises slipped 4% on weak Q1 results. FMCG stood out. Hindustan Unilever jumped 3.4% on strong rural demand and earnings. Globally, markets were mixed. China's factory data spooked investors. But Europe held steady thanks to strong bank earnings Brent crude fell to $72.64. The rupee posted its worst month in nearly 3 years, down 2% to 87.59 vs the dollar.


Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
Philippines and India: Heralding hope of a strategic partnership
With the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, soon to arrive in New Delhi (August 4-8, 2025), the commemoration of 75 years of diplomatic relations will be replete with markers of cooperation. Without question, there will be several deals and agreements that will be sealed, ranging from defence, to fintech, infrastructure, connectivity and agricultural cooperation, heralding the hope of elevation of ties to a strategic partnership. President Marcos Jr's visit merits attention for several reasons: First, this is the first visit by Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, ever since his election in 2022. His four-day visit will be marked by a host of meetings between Indian officials and his high-level delegation, including at least 10 cabinet-level ministers, including finance, defence, law and justice. The last Presidential visit was by his predecessor, President Duterte, who was India's guest during the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit and Republic Day celebrations in January 2018. The Philippines has since changed course in foreign policy, drawing closer to its Western ally, viz., the United States and expanding partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. Even prior to taking over as President, Marcos Jr had signalled that his foreign policy would be neither one of strategic servility to the West nor driven by fruitless flirtation with China. The President demonstrated that the appropriate policy was to simultaneously pursue close ties with all major regional powers. The BrahMos deal with India, making the Philippines India's first international customer for this advanced missile system, tied the two nations into a pivotal relationship. Second, the India visit is timed barely two weeks after the President's visit to the United States, signalling the significance of ties with New Delhi. President Marcos was grateful to the US for being assured of support for its defence sector, which is the cornerstone of their relationship. While the United States is its key ally, securing India's maritime cooperation cannot be overlooked. India's MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Region) vision provides it with the responsibility to showcase its indigenous capabilities as a naval power. Hence, the Indian Navy's latest, indigenously designed, hydrographic survey ship, the INS Sandhayak, will make a goodwill visit to the Philippines after completing its first visit to Port Klang in Malaysia from July 16-19, 2025. Additionally, the first-ever joint bilateral maritime exercise or Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) will be held between the navies of India and the Philippines on August 3-4, in the West Philippine Sea. Prior to this, the two navies had conducted only passing exercises (PASSEX). However, in an interview with the Philippine News Agency, Indian ambassador to the Philippines, Harsh Kumar Jain, was quoted as saying, 'Given the high importance of the maritime sector for both our countries, we can expand our cooperation to include joint exercises in maritime security and disaster response.' Cooperation between coast guard navies is also required for maintaining peace and order in the region, as well as dealing with piracy or trafficking. Evidently, the Philippines seeks to shore up its naval capabilities to defend itself against constant attacks by Chinese militia boats and coast guard vessels. Third, the Philippines is also considering the purchase of Akash short-range missiles, as well as ALH Maritime Reconnaissance Helicopters. Built by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, these helicopters help with long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, search and rescue operations. The Philippines is one of the most severely disaster-affected countries in the world, due to its vulnerability to climate change, exacerbated by frequent typhoons and flooding. Fourth, India's rising global stature embeds opportunities for investment and collaborations in diverse sectors. India's FICCI, in collaboration with the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre in New Delhi (PTIC-Delhi), will organise the Philippines-India Business Forum. The Delegation is expected to be hosted in Bangalore for meetings with major IT companies, including Wipro, TCS, Infosys, among others. Moreover, the Philippines will possibly invite major Indian firms for joint collaborations in cutting-edge production and innovation opportunities in the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC). This corridor, which will connect Subic Bay, Clark, Manila, and Batangas with high-impact infrastructure projects including ports and railways, is being developed with assistance from Japan and the United States. When completed, it will position the Philippines as a key hub for export manufacturing firms. Fifth, the Philippines has a huge appetite for investments, especially for its infrastructure sector; viz., ship repair, railway construction and port building, in which India is an emerging leader. The Marcos Jr government is continuing its strong focus on infrastructure spending, as evidenced by the proposed P6.793 trillion budget for 2026. This is 7.4 per cent higher than the 2025 program and comprises 22 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). Interestingly, the Philippines' infrastructure push is necessitated due to its worsening ties with China. Although it had received a commitment of USD 30.5 billion from China in official development assistance over the period 2015 to 2023, the amount disbursed remained limited to barely USD 700 million. Hence, with receipts of barely one-twentieth of the amount committed by China, several projects remained stalled. Sixth, trade will also feature on the agenda. With the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA) review yet to be completed, and key exports from the Philippines to the United States impacted by 19 per cent tariffs, India's huge market must be tapped. Seventh, with direct flights due to commence from New Delhi to Manila in October 2025, the Philippines will strive to attract Indian tourists. The visa-free policy was already announced in June 2025, which permitted Indian citizens to enjoy a visa-free stay in the Philippines for up to 14 days. The possibilities for cooperation are numerous. Other sectors to feature in the discussions will be fintech cooperation, digitalisation in healthcare and education, renewable energy, co-production of defence equipment, environmental preservation, prevention of illegal and terrorist activity, strengthening people-to-people relations and leveraging diasporic connections. Possibilities will eventually become realities when these two fast-growing nations of Asia elevate their friendship to a Strategic Partnership. As ASEAN Chair in 2026, President Marcos Jr will host Prime Minister Modi. With a shared destiny in the Indo-Pacific as upholders of the rule of law, their unshakeable bonds of friendship will further cement India-ASEAN ties. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.