Royal Enfield appoints Ashok Leyland’s Vinod Dasari as CEO

New Delhi: Royal Enfield on Monday appointed former Ashok Leyland CEO Vinod Dasari as its chief executive, replacing Siddhartha Lal, who will continue "to support Vinod and the team on product and brand related areas", the bikemaker said. Dasari will also join the board of Eicher Motors Ltd—the parent company—as an executive director. Lal continues to be the managing director of Eicher Motors.

Dasari brings to Royal Enfield and Eicher Motors over three decades of experience in the manufacturing sector. He joined truckmaker Ashok Leyland as chief operating officer in 2005 and was serving as CEO and MD since 2011. Prior to that he held several leadership positions at Cummins India Ltd and Timken Co. He started his career with General Electric Co. (GE) in 1986.

Dasari is a proven leader who combines business vision and people skills, said Lal on the appointment. He was a catalyst in reviving the fortunes of Ashok Leyland and reshaping the dynamics of a hitherto slow-moving industry, Lal added.

“Vinod’s fearless entrepreneurial leadership, experience of managing complex businesses globally, deep understanding of customers and his vision of how digital technology will be used and experienced around the world are precisely the qualities that Royal Enfield needs as it aspires to lead and catalyse the global motorcycling industry towards middle weights (250-750cc),” added Lal.

In order to establish Royal Enfield as a global brand, Lal moved to London in 2016. In 2017, the company also opened its first technical centre in the UK. Royal Enfield recently announced that it will set up its first assembly plant in Indonesia.

“Royal Enfield is an inspiring story and I am very excited to be of such a fantastic brand. Personally for me, working with a consumer brand will be a tremendous learning opportunity, and professionally, I am looking forward to the challenge of creating a global consumer brand from India,” said Dasari.