In this edition of #RiseToLead, we’re stoked to feature Pratap Bose, CDO M&M as well as creator of MADE UK. He has always been on a path to rise and has elevated even further with his Mahindra journey.

“It’s been 23 years in the industry, but I always knew what I wanted to do since I was 8 years old. I saw a Blue Mercedes S280 parked outside the Taj Hotel, Mumbai; I couldn’t stop admiring the design. That’s when I knew that I wanted to be the equivalent of an Architect designing structures like the Taj, but for cars. There was no such thing as car design in India back then.

I graduated from NID in the year 1999 and went on to win the coveted Inlaks scholarship. Ever since, the world has been my home, taking me to different places right from Pontedera in Italy, to Tokyo, or as of now, the UK. I worked on 2 wheelers then, but my dream was 4-wheelers. So left my comfortable job, and my quest to keep learning landed me a job with the Mahindra group in June 2021.

I started small with rental office space, and I sat there planning my next steps. When I met Rajesh Jejurikar over TEAMS, he placed his trust in me. I still remember the brief was – Create a design studio that we can be proud of. I was finally a first-hand witness to the famous entrepreneurial freedom that is in Mahindra’s DNA. That’s when I started the MADE (Mahindra Advanced Design Europe) from scratch, quite literally.

My biggest challenge was to manage and be responsible not only for becoming the best design organization, but also ensuring we had the best people, the best locations, and that we created the best products.

With the Born Electric Vision launch due in July-August 2022, there was a lot to be delivered, and that’s what kept me on the edge. When asked what success means to me, I like to say that ‘what you leave behind is what defines your success.’

One piece of advice I would like to share is ‘don’t be afraid to ask.’ What’s the worst that can happen? They might say no, but they might also go for it. Also, be open to learning – It’s a lifelong process. And lastly, make a conscious effort to switch off from your work, and switch on to something else. For me, that something is either cooking or building scale-model WWII airplanes.”