Marelli India, the local arm of global automotive technology giant Marelli, is charting an ambitious growth path as it deepens its roots in one of the world’s fastest-evolving mobility markets. With 18 facilities and over 6,000 professionals on board by early 2025—including 14 plants and two R&D centres across seven Indian cities—the company has become a vital force in India’s drive toward automotive self-reliance.
As Marelli pioneers innovations in software-defined vehicles (SDVs), advanced electronics, lighting systems, propulsion, and thermal solutions, it finds itself at the intersection of legacy manufacturing and the future of mobility. This convergence brings with it a complex mix of challenges—from integrating new technologies into production to building a workforce capable of delivering cutting-edge solutions.
Speaking to Mobility Outlook about Marelli India's talent acquisition strategy, Anju Bhadoria, Country Director HR India, Marelli, highlighted the company's dual focus: continuous investment in research and development, and robust upskilling initiatives. “We’re advancing technologies in SDVs and across key verticals, while also ensuring our teams are trained to work with emerging innovations,” she noted, adding that automation and digital tools are embedded across operations to drive efficiency and quality.
Bhadoria emphasised that Marelli’s hiring strategy in India underpins its broader vision for excellence and diversity. “Strategically investing in human capital enables us to not only meet local and global market demands but also to strengthen partnerships with OEMs and navigate evolving regulatory landscapes,” she said. This integrated approach to talent and technology is positioning Marelli India as a cornerstone of the company’s global transformation agenda, she added.
Crafting Competitive Edge
To compete with global tech firms and agile start-ups in attracting top talent across embedded systems, automotive software, AI, cybersecurity, and electronics, Marelli India offers more than just roles—it offers relevance. The company emphasises end-to-end development and early adoption of emerging technologies, giving engineers a chance to work on future-forward platforms that shape next-generation mobility.
Hiring is driven by skill and substance, with a strong focus on real-world competencies over credentials. The company also provides a global canvas—opportunities to work across international teams and diverse markets, fostering both technical depth and cultural fluency. A structured ecosystem of mentorship, continuous training, and career advancement ensures that employees don’t just contribute, but evolve. For talent seeking purpose and progression in equal measure, the company presents a compelling proposition, she pointed out.
Talent Integration
Recognising that conventional HR models don’t always resonate with highly specialised tech professionals, Marelli India has reimagined its talent integration approach. The company has enhanced its pre-onboarding processes, ensuring new hires in critical domains—such as software, AI, cybersecurity, and electronics—feel connected and empowered even before their first day. Through early touchpoints with relevant teams, new employees are equipped with tools, context, and cultural orientation, enabling a faster, smoother transition into their roles.
To further support this specialised talent, the company offers targeted training programmes and ongoing learning pathways that encourage both technical mastery and career growth. Flexibility is also woven into the fabric of the organisation, with hybrid work models, adaptable schedules, and collaborative tools designed to balance productivity with personal well-being. Crucially, regular feedback loops with tech teams help fine-tune these strategies, ensuring that employee experience evolves in sync with expectations.
At the same time, it is navigating the equally critical challenge of transitioning its legacy workforce into the digital age. For employees rooted in mechanical and traditional manufacturing, the shift toward software-oriented roles can bring apprehension about relevance and future-readiness. Addressing this requires more than reskilling—it demands a cultural evolution. Marelli meets this with decisive leadership, transparent communication, and structured upskilling initiatives, fostering a mindset of adaptability across the organisation. The result is a workforce that grows together—bridging generations of expertise with the demands of tomorrow’s mobility, she explained.
Blending Blue-Collar Grit With Digital Dexterity
Bridging the gap between the precision of the engineering floor and the agility of software development requires more than structural changes—it calls for a cultural realignment. According to her, this integration is driven by open dialogue and shared purpose. Regular feedback forums, open houses, and communication sessions foster transparency and encourage collaboration across domains. The “One-Marelli” spirit underpins all policies and practices, reinforcing inclusivity and cohesion across engineering and software teams.
To ensure alignment on critical projects, cross-functional teams are formed at the country level, blending mechanical expertise with digital innovation. This collaborative model not only harmonises diverse skill sets but also fuels innovation through broader perspectives. It’s a deliberate effort to make agility a shared mindset, not just a software term.
Navigating Fear Of Change
As the company embraces automation and high-tech solutions, Marelli is equally attentive to the anxieties of its traditional workforce. The transition to a more digital environment can be unsettling for blue-collar employees—but the company addresses this with empathy and empowerment. Robust upskilling and reskilling programmes help employees adapt to new technologies, while transparent communication ensures they understand how automation supports, rather than threatens, their roles, she mentioned.
The company also lays out clear career paths, allowing employees to visualise their growth within the evolving organisation. By involving shopfloor teams in innovation processes and recognising their contributions to technology adoption, it nurtures a strong sense of belonging. Peer mentoring further strengthens this bridge between old and new, making transformation a shared journey rather than a solitary leap.
Strategic Enabler
In an organisation navigating rapid technological evolution, Marelli India sees HR not as a support function, but as a strategic enabler of innovation and scale. The company’s leadership has set a clear mandate: every function must actively contribute to business growth—and human resources is central to this vision.
Attracting, nurturing, and retaining high-calibre talent is not just an HR goal but a business imperative, she opined. In an era defined by transformation, it is people who catalyse change, fuel innovation, and sustain competitive advantage. Marelli’s HR strategy is tightly aligned with its business objectives—supporting agility, accelerating capability building, and fostering a culture that embraces speed and scalability, she explained.
By moving beyond transactional roles and embedding itself into the core of organisational strategy, HR at Marelli plays a pivotal role in shaping the future—ensuring the right minds are in place to drive the company’s bold ambitions.
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