Anupam Malhotra is manager for the connected vehicle for Audi of America, responsible for all the operations of the Audi Connect infotainment system and the formulation and execution of the company’s connected-vehicle strategy with Audi AG.

“Pom” Malhotra joined Audi in mid-2010 on a contract basis as a subject-matter expert, but soon it became apparent that connectivity would become a crucial part of the technology proposition for the entire brand, and his position was formalized. He joined Audi initially from his role as head of enterprise quality for location-based services for General Motors’ pioneering OnStar brand.

New Delhi-born Malhotra grew up in Malaysia. He returned to India for high school and his initial college years, earning a mechanical-engineering degree with a focus on automotive technology. He later attended the University of Maryland and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the U.S. focusing on strategies for managing technology as a global competitive advantage.

GM had begun scaling up OnStar with just such an idea in mind, and in 2000, Malhotra landed at the upstart “telematics” and infotainment brand, eventually moving into global business development and program management in a 10-year stint with the company. Among other things, Malhotra spearheaded a global team at the Automotive Multimedia Interface Collaboration, a consortium that standardized interfaces so that consumer-electronics devices could communicate with and within vehicles; led the development of a globalization strategy for OnStar, including the brand’s expansion into China; and championed initiatives to enhance the customer experience for the brand’s location-based services portfolio.

Malhotra left OnStar to launch Audi connect in the U.S. market and put in place the foundation for a long-term connected services strategy for the company.

Recently, Malhotra moved to Herndon, Va., where Audi of America is headquartered, along with his wife and two young daughters.