BS People: Vinod Dasari

The true-blue Indian

Vinod Dasari has taken over the reins of Ashok Leyland at a time when the entire nation is on a high after India’s world cup victory.

A cricket enthusiast, the new man at the helm of the company sees this as a good omen for himself. “Indian team bagging the World Cup is a positive start for me. Like the ‘Men in Blue’ went global, Ashok Leyland’s trucks and buses will sport the colour on their bodies,” he said.

Vinod dasari has had a flourishing career so far. After completing his MBA in 1992 from the Kellogs university, he joined the Timken Company, US, as senior business analyst and then moved to Timken’s Indian operations as the managing director, when he was 30. He then moved back to US in 2000 as president of the company for global railroad business. In 2002 he took over as a joint managing director of Cummins in India and joined Ashok Leyland in 2005 as the chief operating officer.

So why did he come back to India? “Phir bhi dil hai hindustani,” he says with a smile. And why Ashok Leyland? According to him the value system developed over 60 years, robust products and the pride and dedication of employees is what struck him about the company.

Vinod Dasari, now 45, represents Ashok Leyland’s young workforce, raring to take the company to new heights. He took over as the new managing director of the company from April 1.