Shishir Mishra, formerly the director and head of sales and marketing synergy at Stellantis India, has transitioned to assume leadership of the Citroen brand.
Mishra’s appointment as the brand head aligns with the company’s strategy to restructure management and provide focused attention to individual brands. Recently, Stellantis India appointed Priyesh Kumar as the head of the Jeep brand. The announcement regarding Citroen’s new brand head was slated for February.
Since June 2022, Mishra has been instrumental in integrating sales and marketing strategies for both Jeep and Citroen brands at Stellantis India, adapting to modest network and lower volumes to establish a viable business model.
With a tenure starting in June 2018, Mishra is among the earliest employees of the Citroen brand in India, previously serving as the director and head of partnerships.
Before joining Citroen India, Mishra held roles at several non-banking financial corporations affiliated with automotive companies, including Toyota Financial Services and Ford Credit, spanning over a decade.
Stellantis India’s recent appointments, including Aditya Jairaj as MD and two new brand directors, signal strategic moves toward future growth initiatives.
While Priyesh Kumar will focus on building the Jeep brand with the existing portfolio, Mishra will oversee a fresh vehicle lineup including the C3 and C3 AirCross, which have encountered sub-optimal performance.
Despite entering the market relatively recently, Citroen has faced challenges in surpassing the 1000 units per month sales mark, despite operating in the Rs 8 lakh to Rs 20 lakh segment.
Mishra, leveraging his comprehensive understanding of the group’s operations gained through years of delivering synergies across brands, will be tasked with revitalizing the brand’s portfolio.
Stellantis India has implemented various measures, including launching the new automatic version of the C3 AirCross SUV, adjusting feature sets and pricing, and mandating six airbags to meet the Indian consumers’ demand for safer vehicles.
The company deferred the launch of its third vehicle under the C-Cube project, codenamed CC22, aimed at the mainstream market, to ensure product specifications are optimal and distribution channels are established to ensure respectable volumes.
