A Strong Belief in Sustainability: the Secret of Success
Dhanashree Kad originally comes from the western Indian city of Pune. Today, she heads a global team at ZF that focuses on sustainability in e-mobility. With this role, she’s actually accomplished what she wanted to do when as a child – albeit at high speed and with remarkable dedication.
For Dhanashree Kad – who goes by Dhana for short – the future must be one thing above all else: sustainable. But for the 33-year-old – currently Head of Sustainability & Diversity in the ZF Electrified Powertrain Technology Division – ‘sustainable’ by no means refers solely to climate protection. For the native of India, a focus on the entire spectrum of topics ranging from diversity and good governance to the circular economy – is absolutely essential. That’s even more so because her own career is a perfect example of what’s possible when equal opportunity and access / inclusiveness are actually lived and practiced within a company – and not just words written on a piece of paper. However, the mechatronics engineer is no idealist: “A profitable business model is the basis for being able to operate sustainably in the first place. A company that is only sustainable but not profitable won’t exist for long,” she points out, adding: "Conversely, a sustainable approach is increasingly the prerequisite for a future that is profitable and creates value."
Dhanashree Kad, Head of Sustainability & Diversity in the division Electrified Powertrain Technology
Dhana, who manages her 30-strong team spread across eight countries from her base in Detroit, says she is living her dream. She already knew at age 11 that she wanted to pursue a career in the automotive industry. Dhana says she was particularly interested in German premium brands. But a second goal in life emerged just as clearly: to live and work in a sustainable village. Which doesn’t pose a contradiction for her:
“My parents both worked in the social sector – my father as an engineer. From him, I’ve inherited the firm conviction that for most of the problems on our planet, there’s a technical solution. And that it is important to acquire the technical skills necessary for creating these solutions.”
From India to the Saarland
Dhana’s first contact with ZF was during her university studies in Pune – when she applied for a trainee program at the company’s Indian location. Just a few weeks later, the 21-year-old was on an airplane for the first time ever: Bound for Germany, where, after a stopover in Friedrichshafen, she started her first job at the Saarbrücken transmission plant. With zero knowledge of German whatsoever – and as the only woman among 50 male colleagues – she didn't let the confusing ‘Tower of Babbel’ mix of High German, the local Saarland dialect and Swabian get her down.
Her interest in sustainability has accompanied the FutureStarter throughout her life.
“Not only did I learn German intensively during this period of time – in my materials management role, but I also learned that technical projects aren’t just about what is feasible, but above all about what makes financial sense," she says about this phase of her life. She found it easy to integrate:
"The fact that I grew up in an extended family of 23 definitely helped with this," Dhana says with a laugh. After three months in the role during her first review, her boss predicted that if she continued performing so well, she’d soon become his deputy. Dhana initially thought this was a joke – but just six months later, she did indeed move in the role.
When she was asked to step into senior management at age 26 to play a key part in developing a new generation of transmissions, Dhana abandoned her original plan to take a career break to study for her master’s degree.
“I couldn't pass up this opportunity,” she says. “At this level, I was the youngest woman working in the Group. But from day one, I felt nothing but respect and acceptance from my colleagues and employees.”
“Our customers appreciate that we take sustainability seriously”
Her interest in sustainability issues has always shaped Dhana Kad's work. So it was no wonder that she was thrilled to be offered the position of Head of Sustainability at ZF’s E-Division in December 2020: “I can now fully reconcile my two passions for cars and sustainability,” she says, describing her motivation. “My goal is to anchor sustainability as an element of every business or company-related thought and action at ZF – at all levels. Not just as some trend or add-on consideration.”
Dhana is particularly proud of the fact that her team has developed the Life Cycle Assessment, a service method that ZF can also offer its customers to put the actual sustainability of their products to the test. She explains: "Our customers increasingly appreciate that at ZF, we take sustainability seriously and are always looking for a technical solution instead of greenwashing.” One example of this: the new, compact I2SM electric motor, which doesn’t require magnets or rare earths to work. “From a sustainability perspective, this concept is groundbreaking," Dhana proudly notes. "Because a sustainable electric motor shouldn’t just be locally emission-free – its production should also be as environmentally friendly for both the people who make it and the location where it’s made.”
„It's always about analyzing a problem and then finding a structural solution within the bounds of what is feasible.”
Dhana says it’s of particular importance that the E division has already been able to realize two sustainable projects of considerable scale and size: One, the production site for power electronics in Klášterec in the Czech Republic opened in February 2024 as the first zero-emissions factory after a conversion period of just under one and a half years. And with the first zero-emission plant for electric drive technology in Pančevo, Serbia, ZF has reached a milestone in its own transformation process.
Alongside the economic and ecological aspects of sustainability, the social aspects are also important to her. That’s why Dhana and her colleagues were able to convince the Head of Division E to launch the “ellevate” program that offers mentoring for women as well as a networking platform. Targeted succession planning is also part of the program, whose name is derived from the English word, elevate, and the feminine pronoun in French, elle. “The aim is to fill more management positions with women,” says Dhana, who also emphasizes the economic aspects here: “Gender-diverse teams have been proven to contribute to corporate success. Women generally have a higher level of emotional skills, they communicate more efficiently and are more oriented towards ethical and moral values.” Whenever she visits the plant, taking time to meet with the “ellevate” program participants is an absolute must: "There is no better way to get direct feedback on how ellevate is going,” she adds.
A Commitment to Sustainability in Her Private Life, Too – and Giving a Presentation to the German Chancellor
In her personal life, too, Dhana Kad strives to live as sustainably as possible. She has been a vegetarian ever since she calculated her individual carbon footprint six years ago. “My approach as an engineer also helps me with these activities,” she says. “It's always about analyzing a problem and then finding a structural solution within the bounds of what is feasible. And as an optimist and realist, I know that more is possible than many people think.” In the same spirit, she is also committed to financial education in her free time, and has developed a tool specifically for this purpose. The goal: supporting women in India in particular to escape financial dependence on their husbands.
The fact that this she embodies all facets of sustainability and strong enthusiasm for e-mobility so credibly and convincingly has already earned her attention at the highest level. In November 2022, she presented the Group's sustainability initiatives to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his visit to ZF in Friedrichshafen – in what’s become perfectly fluent German in the meantime. For Dhana Kad, this was one of the highlights of her career to date: “I love my work because it is not ‘just’ a job for me – rather, it’s exactly what gives me joy and meaning."
Dhana Kad during the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Friedrichshafen.
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