Meet man, who quit high paying job to return to India, father of Mahindra Scorpio model, Anand Mahindra requested…, his name is…

Anand Mahindra, wrote an emotional post when he saw his former employee buy a new Mahindra SUV.

Anand Mahindra recently shared an emotional moment about his former colleague Dr. Pawan Goenka, who played an important role in establishing Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) in the Indian automotive industry. Dr. Goenka, also known as the ‘father of the Scorpio’. He purchased Mahindra’s latest electric SUV, the XUV 9e.

Goenka’s Decision To Return To India

Dr. Pawan Goenka’s association with Mahindra began in the early 1990s when he decided to return to India, leaving a dream job at General Motors in the United States. Anand Mahindra personally approached him to join M&M as Deputy Head of R&D at the Nashik facility.

However when Goenka went to the actual place he started doubting his decision. He still accepted the challenge and became part of the Mahindra group.

Creation Of Mahindra Scorpio

Dr. Goenka’s lead M&M’s R&D department which saw massive growth later on. He also developed the Mahindra Scorpio, which is one of the iconic SUVs of Mahindra and also in India’s automotive history. 

Dr. Goenka later became Managing Director & CEO of M&M and led the company’s expansion into new markets and sectors.

Anand Mahindra’s Post For Dr. Goenka

Recently Dr. Goenka and his wife, Mamta, purchased one of Mahindra’s electric SUVs. For Anand Mahindra, this moment  was very emotional. While writing a post on Twitter he wrote When Pawan Goenka decided to return to India in the early ‘90s, leaving behind a job at General Motors, I managed to convince him to join @Mahindra_Auto at Nashik as Deputy Head of R&D

He often relates how when he first went to Nashik and saw the &D ‘shed’ and its rudimentary state, he began questioning his decision to come back.”

Mahindra added, ‘’When I see Pawan and his wife Mamta buying one of our first electric origin SUVs, I am flooded by emotions and memories of working alongside him. ‘’

This is not just another video for me…

When Pawan Goenka decided to return to India in the early ‘90s, leaving behind a job at General Motors, I managed to convince him to join @Mahindra_Auto at Nashik as Deputy Head of R&D

He often relates how when he first went to Nashik and… pic.twitter.com/auggd8gEQ9

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 27, 2025

Dr. Goenka retired from Mahindra in 2021 but joined new ventures. He is Chairman of In-Space, a Department of Space entity made for private sector involvement in India’s space initiatives. His contributions to Indian industry are recognized with the Padma Shri award.

Dr. Goenka has done B.Tech. from IIT Kanpur and a Ph.D. from Cornell University, he completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Before joining Mahindra, he spent 14 years at General Motors’ R&D Center in Detroit.