Siddhartha Lal
Lal in 2012
BornOctober 1973 (age 50)
NationalityIndian
EducationThe Doon School
St. Stephen's College, Delhi
Cranfield University
University of Leeds (MSc)[1]
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1999–
Known forRevival of Royal Enfield[2]
TitleCEO & MD, Eicher Motors
Chairman & MD, VE Commercial Vehicles Limited[1][3]
SpouseNatasha Lal[4][5]
Parent
WebsiteSiddhartha Lal

Siddhartha Vikram Lal (born October 1973) is an Indian businessman. He is the son of Vikram Lal, and a former chief executive officer (CEO) and the current managing director (MD) of Eicher Motors, a director of Eicher Goodearth Limited and chairman and MD of VE Commercial Vehicles.[1] Lal is credited with the turnaround and revival of Royal Enfield[2][6]

Early life and education

Siddhartha Vikram Lal is the son of Vikram Lal, who was the chief executive officer of Eicher Motors.[7] Like his father, Siddhartha attended The Doon School for his secondary education. After completing twelfth grade, Lal attended the St. Stephen's College of University of Delhi for a bachelor's degree in economics in the 1994. Between 1996 and 1998, he attained a postgraduate diploma in mechanical engineering from Cranfield University, and a master's degree in automotive engineering from the University of Leeds in England.[1][8] He has a sister, Simran Lal.[9]

Career

Lal, after completing his education started working with MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG. He joined Eicher Group in 1999, working in various capacities in the Eicher tractor division, and then became CEO of Royal Enfield in 2000 (at the age of 26) aiming to end the unit's losses. From 2000 to 2004, he worked out of Royal Enfield's headquarters in Chennai, introducing cost-cutting measures and product upgrades.[10][11] "Honestly, at age 26, it seemed a fun thing to do. I could eat, sleep, ride and talk motorcycles," Lal said in a 2015 interview.[12]

In Jan 2004, Lal was appointed as the chief operating officer (COO) of Eicher Motors.[12] In May 2006, Lal took over as the CEO and MD of Eicher Motors.[1][8]

Positions held

Position Company
MD Eicher Motors
Director Eicher Goodearth Limited
Chairman VE Commercial Vehicles
Director Eicher Goodearth Holdings

Personal life

Siddhartha Lal relocated from Delhi[13] to London,[11] in August 2015, in order to be close to Royal Enfield's new R&D centre in Leicestershire.[14] "We are in the process of developing engines for the international markets and lots of developmental work is happening in the UK. It is for that I have decided to move to the UK for one year," he said.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Siddhartha Lal PGDME, MSc (Automotive Engg.)". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b "The man who turned around Royal Enfield". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Siddhartha Lal, Eicher Motors Ltd". Bloomberg Business. Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  4. ^ Ramani, Priya (10 September 2010). "Siddhartha Lal | The Bulletproof man". Livemint. Mint. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  5. ^ Sood, Varun; Chopra, Ritika; Thakkar, Ketan (21 April 2014). "AAP's leftist leanings fail to dissuade India Inc; donations pour in for Arvind Kejriwal". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015. AAP's last biggest donation came from Natasha Lal, wife of Eicher Group head Siddhartha Lal, who gave Rs 50 lakh last week.
  6. ^ "The Bulletproof man". liveMint. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  7. ^ Blankfeld, Keren; Chung, Grace; Doebele, Justin; Flannery, Russell; Jetley, Neerja Pawha; Karmali, Naazneen (7 October 2015). "Lal family". Forbes Asia. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015. Lal family on Forbes Lists #40 Asia's Richest Families (2015)
  8. ^ a b "Lal, Siddhartha". Reuters India. Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  9. ^ Hussain, Shabana (21 October 2014). "The homemakers: Leading home décor brand Good Earth is a labour of love". Forbes India. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  10. ^ Sinha, Vivek (28 September 2002). "Enfield strikes at Lightning, to fly Thunderbird". The Economic Times. Times News Network. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015. Manufacturing at the Jaipur plant, which has a capacity to produce 13,000 mobikes, is under suspension and according to the plan it is expected to resume operations as soon as the Chennai plant achieves full capacity utilisation.
  11. ^ a b Madhavan, N. (16 October 2015). "Siddhartha Lal: The braveheart". Forbes India. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015. He has unleashed a burst of activity in London to leverage its British heritage and design products (Royal Enfield has a development centre there) that appeal to the global audience.
  12. ^ a b Karmali, Naazneen (July 2015). "India's Vintage Motorcycle Royal Enfield Is On Full Throttle". Forbes Asia. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015. In 2004 he took charge of running the group, which was then a collective of several businesses. He sold all but two, including the legacy tractor unit, to focus on motorcycles and trucks.
  13. ^ Das, Biprorshee (7 May 2015). "Royal Enfield customers have a different take on life, says CEO Siddhartha Lal". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  14. ^ Philip, Lijee (24 September 2015). "Royal Enfield's Siddhartha Lal seeks to replicate India's success in overseas markets". ET Auto. The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015. The shift was surprising because Eicher, which owns the famous motorbike maker Royal Enfield, has a manufacturing base in Chennai and headquarters in Gurgaon.
  15. ^ "Why Eicher Motors Siddhartha Lal Is Moving to UK". NDTV Profit. Press Trust of India. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Royal Enfield's Siddhartha Lal will move to UK to strengthen bike business". Daily News and Analysis. Press Trust of India. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
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