Dheeraj Hinduja takes over as Chairman of Ashok Leyland

Mr Dheeraj G Hinduja has today been appointed Chairman of the Hinduja Group flagship, Ashok Leyland. He takes over the reins from Mr R J Shahaney who was Chairman of the Company since August 1997.

Mr. Hinduja, who has been Co-Chairman of the Company for the past three years, is a third-generation member of the Hinduja Family. He has over a dozen years’ experience at strategic and leadership levels covering a wide variety of businesses across diverse sectors such as Automotives, Energy, Infrastructure, Finance & Banking, IT & ITes, Media and Healthcare. He has been leading the Human Resources function for the entire Group, driving an agenda of transformation. As Director of the Group, Mr Hinduja has been setting and driving an aggressive growth agenda across entities and leading a corporate team to develop strategies for enhancing the Group’s portfolio, explore new opportunities and oversee investments. After completing B. Sc. (Hons.) from the University College, London, Mr Hinduja obtained an MBA in 1994 from the Imperial College, London.

“I have very ambitious expansion plans for Ashok Leyland and right at the top of my priority list is to fast-track the Company’s global thrust through both organic and inorganic modes,” said Mr Hinduja. “Ashok Leyland is crucial for the realization of the Group’s goal to becoming a major force in the global automotive space and I am delighted to be taking over when the Company is poised at a very exciting point in its development,” he added.

Mr Hinduja succeeds Mr Shahaney who was earlier Ashok Leyland’s first Indian Managing Director. Mr Shahaney, who joined Ashok Leyland in 1978, was primarily responsible in spreading the Company’s manufacturing footprint in India with the establishment of facilities at Hosur, Bhandara and Alwar. Mr Shahaney injected a passion for engineering into the Company that saw Ashok Leyland successfully introduce products and services that have become industry norms. His tireless efforts bore fruit in taking the Company’s business beyond the borders to Sri Lanka and in forging an enduring relationship with the Indian Army on the strength of which the Company is today its largest supplier of logistics vehicles.

“It has been a long but a very satisfying innings with fortunately more ups than downs,” is how Mr Shahaney summed up his tenure. “Today’s challenges are very different in nature but they are just as exacting and formidable as they were before. I have participated in Ashok Leyland’s growth to the stature and size it now has acquired; all the engines of growth are in place and it is now for Dheeraj and his team to lead the Company to even greater heights in the coming years. I shall always follow its fortunes with passion because Ashok Leyland is very much a part of me,” he concluded.

In recognition of his meritorious service to Ashok Leyland, the Board has conferred on him, the position of Chairman Emeritus. He will continue to be involved with the different businesses of the Hinduja Group, as advisor to the Group.