As part of the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, ŠKODA continues to allocate responsibilities at the management level. Jan Frydrych will be the HR Director for the Volkswagen Group’s Indian operations, effective as of 1 April 2019. In this role, the 40-year-old will report directly to the Managing Director of ŠKODA AUTO India Private Ltd. and Volkswagen India Private Ltd. (VWIPL), Gurpratap Boparai.
ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Human Resources, Bohdan Wojnar, emphasizes: “Jan Frydrych’s many years of experience in HR will help us introduce a sustainable human resources concept in India. With his expertise, he will ensure that talented new employees are won over to the project and that the potential of the local workforce is utilized optimally.”
Gurpratap Boparai adds: “For the INDIA 2.0 project to be implemented successfully, we need a new approach to human resources. The project brings with it new responsibilities as well as a much broader array of activities, and it will develop dynamically. We are currently recruiting a lot of new employees to complete the project in a short time. I am convinced that Mr. Frydrych will be a valuable member of our management team in the future.”
Frydrych has worked in various positions for ŠKODA AUTO since 2004. He began his career in Sales and marketing. Since 2007, he has held leadership positions in the field of human resources and has worked both in the Czech Republic and abroad since then. After working at Volkswagen China Investment Co., he returned to ŠKODA, becoming head of Recruiting and HR marketing in 2015. Since September 2016, he has been responsible for HR management at the Kvasiny plant. Throughout the course of the SUV campaign, the site was extensively modernized and expanded; the number of employees grew by 3,000 under Frydrych’s leadership. Kvasiny currently produces the ŠKODA KODIAQ and ŠKODA KAROQ SUV models as well as the brand’s flagship, the ŠKODA SUPERB.
As part of the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, ŠKODA AUTO is in charge of the Volkswagen Group’s planned model campaign on the Indian market and will be producing new models locally based on the sub-compact platform MQB A0, initially focusing on India (MQB-A0-IN). ŠKODA and Volkswagen will be developing various models on this platform. The model campaign will be launched in 2020 with an SUV. The second step will involve the manufacturer examining the possibility of exporting the vehicles produced in India. To ensure that the planned models best meet the needs of Indian customers, ŠKODA AUTO will be relying on maximum market proximity from the outset. The technical development of the new vehicles will take place primarily in India, for which a new technology centre was opened in January. The car manufacturer plans to gradually create new jobs locally.
