Ashok Leyland Appoints V. Sumantran as ID & K. M. Balaji as CFO
The Board of Directors of Ashok Leyland Limited has appointed Dr. Venkataramani Sumantran as an Additional Director (Non-Executive, Independent) with immediate effect. His appointment as a Director on the Board is subject to the approval of the shareholders.
The Board has appointed K. M. Balaji as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with effect from June 1, 2024. Balaji has held a distinguished career with Ashok Leyland for over 31 years, where he has gained considerable experience in handling and managing different facets of finance, such as MIS, Budget, Product Cost Engineering, Indirect Taxation, Treasury, Investor Relations, Payables and Receivables.
Gopal Mahadevan, Whole-Time Director and Chief Financial Officer, has been redesignated as Director of Strategic Finance and M&A for two years, starting May 24, 2024.
The Board of Directors has reappointed Dheeraj G. Hinduja as Executive Chairman for two years, with effect from November 26, 2024. The Board has also approved the reappointment of Saugata Gupta as an Independent Director for five years, with effect from November 8, 2024. Both reappointments are subject to the approval of the shareholders.
Dr. V. Sumantran is Chairman of InterGlobe Aviation and a Designated Partner of Celeris Technologies LLP. He also serves as Board Director or Advisor for several organisations in autos, industrials, electronics, and technology in the USA, Europe, and Asia. He is actively engaged across the spectrum of corporations, start-ups, academia, and non-profits. He is the co-author of the book “Faster, Smarter, Greener: The Future of the Car and Urban Mobility.” Earlier, he served as the Executive Vice Chairman of Ashok Leyland and Chief Executive Officer of TATA Motors’ Car business. Prior to this, Dr. Sumantran had a 16-year career with General Motors USA, starting at their R&D Centre in Detroit and subsequently as a Director of Advanced Engineering at GM-Europe. He has served on the Science Advisory Council of the Prime Minister of India and the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet of the Indian Government. He has a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering and a Master’s degree in Management of Technology. He is a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE) and a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineers. He is also an honorary Professor at IIT Delhi.
