BAJAJ GROUP

Rahul Bajaj 

Introduction–

Rahul Bajaj  was an Indian billionaire businessman. He was the chairman emeritus of the Indian conglomerate Bajaj Group. He was awarded the third-highest civilian award in India, the Padma Bhushan, in 2001.

Name- Rahul Bajaj

Dob – 10 June 1938

Occupation –  Entrepreneur CEO Bajaj Group

Education-   Master of Business Administration, Harvard University

Status- married

 Starting Life-

Rahul Bajaj graduated from St Stephen’s College in Delhi in 1958  and also earned a degree in law from Bombay University. Then he went on to pursue MBA from Harvard Business School in the US and became CEO of Bajaj Auto in 1968.

When he was 12 years old, he started dreaming of becoming a businessman. His grandfather had bought a steel mill and a sugar mill. His father founded Bajaj Auto in 1945.

Carrier –

In 1965, Rahul Bajaj took charge of Bajaj Group and under his leadership, Bajaj Auto has grown to new heights year after year.

Rahul Bajaj joined his father’s group as Deputy General Manager. He was in charge of key departments in the company such as marketing, accounts, purchasing and audit. Etcetera. Rahul learned the nuances of business under the guidance of Naval K Firodia, CEO of Bajaj Auto. Later Firodia and Bajaj parted ways.

After his father’s demise in 1972, Rahul was appointed managing director of Bajaj Auto. Under his leadership the company saw tremendous growth.

Bajaj sales hit a low around 2001 after market liberalisation, when Japanese rivals such as Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki introduced new motorcycles and changed the dynamics of India’s market. But, it soon recovered the losses due to effective marketing and promotion.

Bajaj Auto revamped itself and came up with the Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle.

In 2008, he split Bajaj Auto into three entities – Bajaj Auto, the finance company Bajaj Finserv and a holding company. A

Mr. Bajaj was the recipient of many awards, including the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India and honorary doctorates from six universities.

He has a BA (honours) in economics, a law degree from Mumbai University and an MBA from Harvard.

Successful Businessman Life-

Mr Bajaj was a former member of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of

chairman of the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

He is also a former chairman and member of the International Business Council, World Economic Forum; a former member of the South Asia advisory board of Harvard Business School and a former member of the International Advisory Council of the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.

Mr. Bajaj led the CSR activities of the Bajaj Group of companies and charitable trusts including Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation.

Achievement-

• He was the only top executive who had served two terms as president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• He was also a member of the International Advisory Committee. His expertise in these matters was trapped by the New York Stock Exchange.
• In 2001, he was awarded Padma Bhushan, the nation’s third-highest civilian honour, for his contribution to Indian industry.
• In 2006, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra with cross-party support from the NCP, BJP, and the Shiv Sena.
• According to the Forbes India poll on the top 40 richest persons in India, he was said to be the 20th richest man in India.
• During 1957-77, the Government of India appointed him as the Chairman of the Development Council for Automobiles and Allied Industries.
• Bajaj received the “Man of the Year” Award from the National Institution of Quality Assurance in 1975.
• He was also selected as Business India’s Businessman of the Year 1985.
• He was felicitated in 1988 by the Pune Municipal Corporation for his achievements in a public function.
• He was the Chairman of Indian Airlines between 1986-89
• He received the Bombay Management Association Award for The Most Distinguished Services in the Field of Management 1990.
• In February 1992, he was appointed by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales as a Member of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum.
• He was awarded by FIE Foundation the Rashtrabhushan Award in 1996.
• In 2000, Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust awarded him the Tilak Award.
• In September 2005, he received the Alumni Achievement Award from Harvard Business School.
• He was ranked No. 722 on the Forbes 2016 list of the world’s billionaires.

Also, he received several more national as well as international honour.