- Ashok Leyland Ltd announced on Thursday that it has appointed Vipin Sondhi as the automotive company’s chief executive (CEO) and managing director (MD) as of 12 December 2019.
Ashok Leyland Ltd announced on Thursday that it has appointed Vipin Sondhi as the automotive company’s chief executive (CEO) and managing director (MD) as of 12 December 2019. The announcement follows the resignation of former CEO Vinod Dasari in November 2018 after more than a year.
For the next five years, Sondhi will be heading the agency, his term ending on December 11, 2024. The appointment is subject to shareholder approval, the firm said in a regulatory filing.
“Sondhi is not, by any order of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) or any such authority, debarred from holding the director’s office. Sondhi has no interaction with any of the directors or main managers or promoters of the company,” the company said.
Before Sondhi, Vinod Dasari was in charge of the truck maker based in Chennai. Dasari, who served Ashok Leyland as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for almost 14 years first and then as CEO, stepped down in November last year, citing personal reasons. Dasari served until March 2019, after which, before Sondhi’s appointment, Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja and the business board supervised the management and its decisions.
Commenting on his nomination, Chairman Ashok Leyland, Dheeraj Hinduja said, “Vipin has a solid, proven track record as a leader and is a committed and realistic professional. His known ability to drive performance will be valuable at Ashok Leyland to work seamlessly with all key stakeholders. I am sure that under his leadership, the company will reach new frontiers and look forward to some very exciting times in 2020 and beyond.
Sondhi has over three decades of manufacturing and engineering experience. He previously led JCB India Ltd, where he spent more than 13 years and was a member of the international executive team of JCB. Sondhi led a $1.7 billion company with five manufacturing facilities in three countries, eight types of products, 60 products, 65 dealers and over 700 retail outlets, Ashok Leyland said.
Commenting about the new role, Sondhi said, “I am honored and feel privileged to be part of Ashok Leyland, an institution with a rich 70-year legacy of pioneering technology leadership. Perhaps the only pure-play Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer, its ability to indigenously develop new products including Electric Buses has always helped the company to stay ahead of the curve.”
Sondhi has also served as the chairperson of the board of governors at the state-owned Indian Institute of Science, Education & Research (IISER), Bhopal. He is a member of two boards of trustees and has also been in several Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) national committees.
