Who is PB Balaji? Jaguar Land Rover’s first Indian CEO
Jaguar Land Rover, the automotive the British luxury automotive arm of Tata Motors, have named PB Balaji, the next CEO, making him the first Indian to hold this position at the brand.
New Delhi: Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the British luxury automotive arm of Tata Motors, has announced the appointment of P.B. Balaji as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective from November 2025. He will be the first Indian to hold the top position with the brand. He takes over from Adrian Mardell, who retired from the company after 35 years, and in that time frame, he was CEO of the company for three years.
Mardell had come during a period following Thierry Bollore’s sudden departure and has seen some of the crucial transformation of both Jaguar and Land Rover. The decision for Balaji to step into the role was confirmed from the filing on August 4th, 2025.
Who is PB Balaji?
PB Balaji has been with the Tata Group, in the role of Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Tata Motors for close to eight years and had the major role of steering the finance of the company’s finances and growth strategy as well. He moves from a financial leadership role to the helm of a company that is one of the widely recognised car brands.
Before joining Tata Motors, Balaji was with Hindustan Unilever for close to eight years, He started as the Vice President of Treasury at Unilever Singapore back in 2007. He then moved to HUL in India, where he served as the Vice President of Finance. He comes with a wealth of experience in the finance and managing large organizations as well.
Balaji’s educational background includes studying engineering at the indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Chennai and post-graduate studies in finance and operations at the indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta, two of India’s most prestigious educational institutions.
Upcoming challenges for JLR
Coming with a experience of 32 years across automotive and FMCG sector, Balaji is expected to take the new challenges that global market imposes. He is coming at a time with the car industry having rapid evolution that includes a push towards electric vehicles, sustainable mobility and new technology.
JLR, as an electric vehicle, faces a significant challenge in creating interest in a world that is waning in interest in premium EVs. Recently, the Range Rover Electric was revealed to be delayed, which was earlier expected to come to the showrooms by the end of 2025.