BS People: Naresh K Rattan

The force behind Force's marketing

Pune-based Force Motors which straddles the commercial and passenger vehicles space recently appointed Naresh K Rattan to head sales and marketing responsibilities. In his new assignment as president (corporate sales and marketing), Rattan would spearhead the company’s expansion in both domestic as well as international markets.

Additionally, Rattan would hold the fort as the chief operating officer of the company’s tractors’ business unit. The company retails tractors under the Balwan brand. Rattan—who has a B Tech in agricultural engineering from College of Engineering,

P A U, Ludhiana—was previously a board member and operating head (sales, planning, marketing, corporate affairs) at two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI).

During his 12-year stint at HMSI starting August 2000, Rattan consolidated and expanded the company’s sales operations at home and overseas. He was also an integral part of the team which was responsible for establishing HMSI’s greenfield unit in Rajasthan and finalising the project for the company’s proposed third plant near Bangalore in Karnataka.

Rattan has a Masters in Business Administration (marketing & finance) from Lal Bahadur Shastri Management Institute, Lucknow and an International Marketing Degree in Business Management and Marketing.

His experience in quality management in manufacturing processes, new and emerging market development, and overseas business development will come handy to Force Motors which inked an agreement to develop a nine-seater multi-purpose vehicle with Daimler AG.

The vehicle likely to be launched in India by 2013 would be tagged between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 15 lakh. Though the company would not be able to export the product to Europe it has the licence to tap volumes from neighbouring markets in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.