Rahul Kirloskar To Succeed His Brother Atul Kirloskar As Chairman Of Kirloskar Oil Engines
Rahul Kirloskar, who is currently a Non-Executive Director, has been appointed as Chairperson of Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited, succeeding his brother Atul Kirloskar, who will retire with effect from March 31, 2026.
The Board has also named Gauri Kirloskar as Vice Chairperson. She will continue to serve as Managing Director (MD) of the company.
Rahul Kirloskar has been associated with the Kirloskar Group for more than 34 years. In 1993, he was appointed Managing Director (MD) of Kirloskar Pneumatic Company and later became its Chairman in 1998. Between 2001 and 2012, he served as Director of Exports at Kirloskar Oil Engines, where he worked on expanding export operations for the company and other businesses within the group. He also founded Kirloskar Chillers Pvt. Ltd. In addition to his corporate roles, he has been associated with industry bodies and served as Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry Pune Council as well as the Confederation of Indian Industry Maharashtra State Council.
Atul Kirloskar was a member of the World Economic Forum from 1994 to 2000. He also served as President of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture in Pune from 2000 to 2002. In addition, he chaired the Confederation of Indian Industry National Committee on Defence from 2000 to 2008. He began his career in 1978 in manufacturing processes and dealership management with Kirloskar Cummins (now Cummins India Limited) and Cummins Diesel Sales and Service India. He joined Kirloskar Oil Engines in 1984 and held several leadership roles before becoming Chairman of the company. His experience spans manufacturing, corporate management, and industry representation.
Gauri Kirloskar began her career as an investment banking analyst at Merrill Lynch in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) group and later worked with Pearson in its corporate finance and strategy team, focusing on acquisitions in the education business. After returning to India in 2010, she worked on strategic initiatives for the Kirloskar Group in infrastructure and investments and has served as a Director at several group companies. She has been a Board Member of Kirloskar Oil Engines since 2014 and is involved in compliance reviews and investment initiatives in the energy sector. She is also on the Boards of La-Gajjar Machineries, Arka Fincap Ltd., The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Ltd., and The Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Company. Kirloskar holds a BSc in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Carnegie Mellon University, United States.
