Sam Vedhakumar Manoharan

Sam Vedhakumar Manoharan is a senior vice president of Caterpillar Inc., responsible for Asia Pacific Distribution. He leads dealer development and performance, portfolio management and operational excellence for dealers in Asia Pacific, including Caterpillar-owned dealer NCD in Japan.

Sam joined Caterpillar from Hindustan Motors, as part of the Caterpillar acquisition in 1997. He took on the role of India product specialist for the Building Construction Products Division, followed by several roles including 6 Sigma Black Belt, heavy construction representative, regional industry manager, global strategy manager, EAME regional product manager and vice president of product management across Singapore, Australia, India, Switzerland, Indonesia and United States of America.

As vice president of product management for motor graders followed by large hydraulic excavators, Sam helped to ensure a robust product strategy delivering sustainable results. His focus on cost, quality and velocity, while applying both customer and dealer perspectives in product and aftermarket development, has been an enabler for annual growth plans. His product strategy expertise and inclusive leadership in Excavation, Earthmoving and Global Construction & Infrastructure divisions have resulted in strong results and engaged teams.

Sam holds a bachelor’s degree in production engineering from PSG College of Technology India and a master’s degree in industrial management from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-M) Madras. He has also completed Caterpillar-led leadership programs in partnership with Peking University and executive leadership development program with Duke University.