Aseef Kadir
Design leader with ~25 years of experience shaping products, experiences, and brands across automotive, mobility, and technology domains. Combines creative judgment, deep customer understanding, and strong design operations to deliver differentiated outcomes at scale. Experienced in building design organisations, evolving brand language, and working with senior leadership to embed design as a long-term strategic capability in complex, high-matrix environments.
Experience
Director – Product Planning and Design Operations
Ola Electric Technologies Pvt Ltd
Bengaluru
Stewardship of product vision and portfolio intent, ensuring coherence across products, platforms, and future-facing initiatives Overall responsibility for experience direction, design capability, and design operations across mobility and frontier technology platforms Ownership of design operating models, including capacity planning, budgeting, and resource deployment, enabling speed without loss of quality Built scalable planning and design functions and teams supporting rapid expansion across software-defined vehicles, smart accessories, and humanoid platforms Reframed processes and operating structures to improve efficiency (~25%) and significantly reduce operating costs, while raising delivery confidence Direct leadership of two specialised design-led functions with a combined team of ~35
Principal Designer
Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd
Mumbai
Creative ownership of design and delivery across 40+ category-defining product programs spanning automotive, farm, construction, and mobility domains Central role in shaping design language, product aesthetics, and experiential coherence across multiple brands and portfolios Translation of customer and cultural insight into authentic and differentiated product expressions Careful evolution of design to balance progressiveness with legacy brand equity, particularly in emotionally resonant, function-driven categories Contribution as a creative anchor and mentor, strengthening individual designers and overall organisational maturity Establishment of agile design processes that improved creative throughput, quality, and predictability at scale Long-term contribution to design direction, portfolio coherence, and brand stewardship across businesses
Manager – Design
Home Solutions Retail India Ltd (Future Group)
Bengaluru
Set the design vision, operating frameworks, and standards for a newly launched furniture retail business Defined retail portfolio structure, store mix, and spatial design language Delivered three full store implementations across three cities in three months, under aggressive timelines Established a repeatable model enabling rapid retail rollout
Assistant Manager – Product Design
Ashok Leyland Ltd
Advanced design exposure contributing to future commercial vehicle platforms and modular architecture thinking
Deputy Manager – Design
Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd
Design ownership of modular office systems and seating, balancing usability, cost, and manufacturability
Project Engineer
KITCO Limited
Early grounding in engineering execution, coordination, and real-world constraints
Education
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Master of Design
TKM College of Engineering, University of Kerala
Bachelor of Technology
Skills
ACADEMIC & ECOSYSTEM CONTRIBUTION
Adjunct Professor | Mobility and Vehicle Design
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | Industrial Design Centre
Mentored postgraduate students in Mobility and Vehicle Design, focusing on systems thinking, design judgment, and real-world product context Shared industry perspectives on portfolio thinking, design decision-making, and execution at scale, complementing academic exploration Treated the engagement as a two-way learning experience, gaining fresh perspectives from emerging designers and evolving mobility and design thinking