Product strategy · Automotive connectivity · Future mobility

Engineering the products behind tomorrow’s mobility.

I connect engineering insight, customer value and business strategy to shape products for a more connected and electric future.

Currently Product Line Manager Yazaki Europe Ltd. · Stuttgart, Germany
Professional portrait of Arunodhayan Annamalai

Why I build

From engineering detail to meaningful impact.

My career began in mechanical engineering, where precision, reliability and disciplined problem-solving shaped how I approached product development. As my responsibilities grew, I became increasingly interested in the larger questions behind every product: which customer problem are we solving, how does the portfolio create value, and what choices will keep it relevant tomorrow?

That curiosity led me from core development into product management, global portfolio leadership, project management and product line management. Today, I bring those perspectives together in the automotive connectivity space.

Electric and software-defined vehicles are changing the architecture of mobility. I am especially interested in how product strategy, electronics and dependable connections can help make that transition safer, smarter and more sustainable.

Measured value

Leadership is reflected in the value it creates.

€26M+New business acquired
€3.95MAnnual cost savings
€7.5MAnnual sales from a modular product program
10+ yearsAcross engineering, products and leadership

Current role · Since March 2026

Product Line Manager
ECU Connectors

Yazaki · Stuttgart, Germany

Leading product-line strategy and lifecycle management for automotive ECU connector solutions across EMEA — connecting market trends, customer requirements, engineering decisions and long-term business objectives.

Career journey

Growth shaped by increasingly complex problems and broader responsibility.

Yazaki

Product Line Manager, ECU Connectors Division

Product line leadership within automotive connectivity, based in Stuttgart.

MANN+HUMMEL

Manager Project Management · Cabin Air Filtration

Led nine direct reports, location-level PMO activities, budgets, resources, steering committees and roadmaps for automotive, e-mobility and heavy-duty applications.

ZF Group

Global Product Portfolio Manager · Seat Belt Systems

Managed global product roadmaps, portfolio strategy, supply-chain coordination, market research, benchmarking and product KPIs.

ZF Group

Product Manager Europe · Seat Belt Systems

Led core R&D projects, cost-down initiatives, business planning, risk management, profitability reviews and serial launches.

ZF Group

Core Development Engineer · Seat Belt Systems

Designed and industrialized product modules using 2D/3D design, tolerance analysis, DFMEA, DFM/DFA and FEM methods.

Leadership principles

Clarity in thinking. Discipline in execution. Respect for the system.

01

Think in systems

Products become stronger when engineering, manufacturing, customer needs and commercial strategy are considered together.

02

Start with customer value

A roadmap matters only when it translates technology into outcomes customers understand and trust.

03

Create alignment

Complex programs move forward when global and cross-functional teams share clear priorities and ownership.

04

Learn continuously

Electrification and connected mobility reward leaders who remain curious, adaptable and close to emerging technology.

Core expertise

Engineering depth with a product and business perspective.

Product Line ManagementProduct StrategyGlobal Portfolio ManagementAutomotive ConnectivityECU ConnectorsProduct LifecycleProject & Program LeadershipStrategic RoadmapsCost & Budget ManagementMarket ResearchCross-functional LeadershipAPQPRisk ManagementDFMEA · DFM · DFA

Leadership in practice

Future-focused thinking, grounded in execution.

01

Future-focused thinking

Looking beyond immediate deliverables to understand how technology, customer expectations and market needs are evolving.

02

Learning agility

Approaching unfamiliar challenges with curiosity and translating new knowledge into practical action.

03

Innovation with purpose

Challenging established approaches when there is an opportunity to create simpler, stronger or more valuable solutions.

04

Leadership through collaboration

Creating clarity, encouraging ownership and bringing functions together around a shared objective.

Insights & publications

Thinking beyond hardware toward the future of mobility.

The Car Is Becoming a Product Platform article cover

Featured insight

The Car Is Becoming a Product Platform

Why the Next Generation of Automotive Leaders Must Think Beyond Hardware

The automobile is becoming the intersection of engineering, software, connectivity and mobility. Future product leaders will increasingly need to translate technical possibility into customer value, commercial direction and coherent product experiences.

Foundation

Technical understanding strengthened by management perspective.

Master of Science

Technical Management

Hochschule Emden/Leer · Germany

Bachelor of Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Karunya University · India

Languages

English · German · Tamil · Hindi · Telugu

International and cross-cultural collaboration

Let’s connect

Let’s build what comes next.

Open to conversations about automotive product strategy, connected mobility and product leadership.