Seetarama Kotagiri

Swamy Kotagiri is the Chief Executive Officer at Magna International. Seetarama has been with the company since January 2014, starting as the Chief Technology Officer. In January 2020, they were promoted to President and then to CEO in December 2020.

Kotagiri is responsible for driving all aspects of the company’s product and innovation strategy, as well as research and development activity, at the corporate level and in conjunction with Magna’s product groups. Seetarama has helped spearhead several industry-first partnerships and projects, including partnering with Lyft to co-develop self-driving systems, bringing to life Magna’s MAX4 fully autonomous driving platform, identifying and building a company to develop a high-definition ICON RADAR, addressing the problem of distracted driving with a portfolio of products that include in-cabin driver and occupant monitoring, eye tracking and biometric sensors, and developing 48-volt components that pave the way to vehicle electrification.

In all of their roles, Kotagiri is dedicated to empowering Magna employees to have the freedom to explore new ideas and to experiment. When the company acts like a startup, they are able to grasp change, connect the dots, gain insight from unconventional places and never stop learning.

Seetarama Kotagiri attended Oklahoma State University, where they earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering.

Some direct reports include Bassem A. Shakeel - Vice-President and Corporate Secretary, Scott E. Paradise - Vice-President, Marketing and New Business Development, Americas, and Joanne N. Horibe - Vice-President, Ethics and Chief Compliance Officer.