Chirag Thakor

Senior engineering and project-management leader with extensive experience, including leadership in a German multinational environment. Expertise spans cross-functional program delivery, manufacturing, product development, quality, supply chain, sourcing, risk management, budget control, and operational excellence. Recognized for translating strategic priorities into executable roadmaps, strengthening governance, and building accountable, high-performing teams.

Senior Manager at Hettich India Pvt. Ltd. (2011-06 – Present)

German multinational and leading furniture-hardware manufacturer

• Direct a portfolio of cross-functional initiatives across R&D, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Regulatory Affairs, Supply Chain and Strategic Sourcing, maintaining alignment with business priorities.
• Lead end-to-end program governance encompassing scope, schedules, milestones, dependencies, resource allocation, budgets, risk controls and stakeholder communication.
• Convert strategic priorities into practical project roadmaps, stage-gate reviews and escalation mechanisms that strengthen execution discipline and delivery visibility.
• Partner with senior leadership to prioritize high-impact initiatives, resolve cross-functional constraints and accelerate decisions affecting cost, quality, timelines and operational readiness.
• Own budget planning, forecasts, procurement commitments and resource deployment, applying disciplined cost control while safeguarding critical project outcomes.
• Champion New Product Introduction and product-lifecycle activities, including design modifications, engineering changes, localization, validation and transition to production.
• Establish proactive risk and issue-management practices, ensuring timely contingency planning, corrective action and escalation for schedule, supply, compliance and quality risks.
• Ensure project execution conforms to applicable quality systems, regulatory expectations, internal standards and documented governance requirements.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and external partners, clarifying ownership, strengthening accountability and fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture.
• Direct executive dashboards, project reviews, KPI reporting and management updates to provide clear visibility of progress, risks, financial status and decisions required.
• Drive process optimization and continuous-improvement programs that enhance operational efficiency, shorten cycle times and improve delivery predictability.
• Mentor project managers and functional specialists, building organizational capability through coaching, standardized practices, knowledge sharing and targeted development.
• Coordinate with global and regional stakeholders to implement best practices, strengthen process standardization and support sustainable business growth.

Master of Engineering (M.E.) in Mechanical Engineering – California State University, Los Angeles, USA (2010)

Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Mechanical Engineering – L.D. College of Engineering, Gujarat, India (2006)