About Ananth
Ananth Narayanan leads McKinsey’s product development in Asia and our Automotive Practice in India. He has worked with leading companies in the auto, component, and construction-equipment sectors in India and across Asia, helping them grow and transform their operations. Ananth has also lived in China, and he played an active role in establishing McKinsey’s China Sourcing Center.
Ananth has deep expertise in driving performance improvement across functions in auto and auto-component businesses and has a particular passion for product development. For example, he helped a leading auto-component manufacturer achieve a 20 percent improvement in EBITDA while launching three new products on budget and ahead of schedule. He also helped the company grow its aftermarket and international businesses substantially.
He has advised leading auto and auto-components players on how to optimise their business systems and distribution networks—and the cost-value equation—in emerging markets including China, India, and Southeast Asia. And he helped conceptualise, design, and scale up new businesses in India’s auto-services sector.
Ananth has also led several major knowledge initiatives, including working with leading industry bodies on the future of India’s auto-component industry and auto aftermarket. In both his client work and his research efforts, Ananth is excited to play an active part in shaping the future of India’s auto industry and to contribute to product development and innovation for companies across Asia.
In addition, Ananth has worked with multinationals entering India or scaling up their Indian businesses, helping them develop strategies, business plans, and organisational models. He also advises clients on M&A.
He is a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s regional council (south), and recently authored a report on the competitiveness of India’s four Southern states.
Ananth serves on the Industry Advisory Board of the University of Michigan, where he was awarded a masters in engineering and was part of the Tauber Manufacturing Program.
Published work
“Developing winning products for emerging markets,” McKinsey Quarterly, May 2013
“Scaling the Indian automotive aftermarket: Path to profitable growth” (PDF–141 KB), McKinsey, November 2012
“Designing products for value,” McKinsey Quarterly, October 2012
“How multinationals can win in India,” McKinsey, March 2012
“Retaining the edge: Sustaining South India’s growth momentum” (PDF–1.22 MB), Confederation of Indian Industry, 2011
Education
| University of Michigan |
Masters in engineering |
| University of Madras |
BE in mechanical engineering |