With immediate effect, Raman Joshi will head Manitowoc Cranes’ operations in the Greater Asia-Pacific region (which covers much of Asia and Australasia, but excludes China). He takes over as executive vice president of GAP from Gilles Martin, who has left the company to pursue other interests. Joshi will report directly to Eric Etchart, president and general manager of Manitowoc Cranes.
His most recent role, which he will continue to occupy in conjunction with the new EVP position, was as vice president of Manitowoc Cranes India. In this role he oversees the company’s factory for Potain tower cranes in Pune, as well as its five sales offices and network of local dealers. Before moving to India, he was marketing director of Asia-Pacific, and prior to that he served as global product manager for Manitowoc crawler cranes, his first role at the company which he assumed in 2006.
Eric Etchart said Joshi’s proven experience in the region and his knowledge of Manitowoc in Asia made him the perfect candidate for the position.
“Raman is already a popular leader in the Greater Asia-Pacific region and he has been instrumental in developing our Potain factory in Pune and growing our market share in India,” he said. “In his previous roles he has traveled extensively through the region and he has excellent knowledge of our product lines, as well as good relationships with our dealers. I know the Asia-Pacific market well myself, having previously worked in the same position as Raman, and I am confident he has all the attributes to be a true success in his new role.”
Joshi will continue to be based in India, but will also spend much of his time at Manitowoc’s regional headquarters in Singapore.
He said he was looking forward to working with a broader customer base across the region.
“India has been an exciting market to work in for the past five years and it will continue to occupy a large amount of my time as I continue my duties there,” he said. “But I’m also looking forward to re-introducing myself to our customers and dealers across the rest of Asia, and in Australia and New Zealand. This part of the world offers such a diverse range of customers and industries, with so many varied needs that every day will be a challenge. But I’m confident that the structure we have and the team we’ve got will deliver. I want us to build on the strong position we’ve attained and work even harder to deliver cranes and support solutions that are perfect for this part of the world.”
Prior to joining Manitowoc, Joshi worked for Japanese bearing manufacturer NSK Ltd, latterly as sales and marketing manager for the company’s U.S. operations. He is fluent in Japanese and Hindi and has an MBA from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in the United States.