Sumanth BS | Forttuna Council Member

Skills

Organizational Transformation & Global People Strategy Culture Engineering, Leadership Development & Change Management Cross-Cultural Team Building & High-Performance Workforce Scaling

About

Sumanth BS is an accomplished executive leader with over 18 years of experience driving global organisational transformation and building high-performance workforces across the technology sector. Recognised for his expertise in people strategy, organisational culture, and leadership development, he has played a pivotal role in scaling globally distributed teams and enabling sustainable business growth.

His...

Company details

Sixt Research & Development

Company Bio

SIXT Research & Development India is the technology, engineering, and innovation hub of global mobility leader SIXT SE, focused on building advanced digital solutions that redefine modern mobility experiences. Established in Bengaluru, the company brings together world-class engineering, product, and data science talent to develop scalable platforms and AI-driven technologies supporting car rentals, ride-hailing, car subscriptions, and mobility services across more than 100 countries. Its teams work across mobile applications, cloud-native systems, microservices architecture, and intelligent automation to deliver seamless, customer-centric mobility solutions at a global scale.

As a key part of SIXT’s global technology ecosystem, the India R&D center plays a strategic role in accelerating innovation and digital transformation within the mobility industry. The organization fosters a high-performance, agile work culture that encourages creativity, collaboration, and continuous learning across engineering and product functions. By combining cutting-edge technologies with deep customer insight, SIXT Research & Development India continues to shape the future of connected mobility while contributing to the global growth and technological leadership of SIXT SE.

About

His distinguished career includes impactful leadership tenures at globally renowned technology companies such as LinkedIn and Adobe, where he developed deep expertise in talent strategy, organisational design, and workforce transformation within hyper-growth environments. Through these experiences, he refined his ability to cultivate high-performing teams while aligning people operations with broader business objectives.

Currently serving as Executive Director of People & Culture and founding member and Co-CEO of SIXT R&D India, Sumanth has been instrumental in the centre’s rapid expansion and strategic evolution. He is widely recognised for bridging the gap between corporate vision and operational execution, translating ambitious growth strategies into actionable, people-centric frameworks that drive measurable impact.

Sumanth’s leadership philosophy is centred around what he describes as “Culture Engineering”—a strategic approach to building resilient, innovative, and inclusive workplace environments. His expertise spans global HR strategy, talent acquisition, organisational development, and change management, enabling organisations to scale effectively while preserving the entrepreneurial spirit that fuels innovation.

An experienced global leader, Sumanth has successfully built and managed cross-cultural teams across the United States, India, Germany, and Portugal. His leadership style combines data-driven decision-making with empathy and compassion, creating workplaces that prioritise both business performance and employee well-being.

Passionate about helping organisations evolve from startup ecosystems into mature, future-ready enterprises, Sumanth continues to champion leadership models that balance operational excellence with human-centric growth.