Jithu Sukumaran Nair is a marine engineer and shipbuilder by profession who lived in Hongkong and Singapore for more than 10 years and was previously General Manager of Shipbuilding & Design at Ultradeep Subsea of Singapore. Ultradeep is engaged in offshore subsea diving and construction of Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROV). In this role he developed concept design for state-of- the-art high-tech diving subsea construction vessels with partners from Norway such as Marin Teknikk design, Salt Design, Rolls Royce, ABB, Kongsberg, and Wartsila.
He also has extensive negotiations experience with commercial shipyards and other manufacturers and previously held leadership positions with Kreuz Subsea Singapore and Seaways International Singapore. Presently holding the post of Chief Advisor to Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, Ministry of Defense. He has managed and delivered projects worth over USD 700 Million in last 6 years. He has also designed and developed a concept of the world’s largest Ultraluxury Expedition cruise Yacht together with Rolls-Royce. He founded VAAN Moto in 2019 and ventured into e-mobility business with India’s first lifestyle e-mobility start-up eying global market. VAAN Moto focuses on implementing scientifically developed and environmentally sustainable products besides ensuring sustainable energy and recycling of products.
Jithu did not take the easy route of importing EVs. Rather, in 2017, he undertook a deep market study to understand the consumer perception of EVs across four cities — Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune. To help with his venture, VAAN Moto partnered with leading players in this segment, including Benelli of Italy, Arianemoto, Spain and Kiska of KTM from Austria.