Rahul Bajaj to make two sons joint MDs

Rahul Bajaj will step down as the managing director of Bajaj Auto Ltd on March 31, 2005. The company will be run by his two sons Rajiv and Sanjiv, whose responsibilities have been clearly demarcated.

"I will continue to be the chairman of the company as long as the board wants me," Rahul Bajaj said on the sidelines of a Confederation of Indian Industry press conference here today.

Rahul Bajaj, 66, has been the chief executive officer of Bajaj Auto since 1968 and has been instrumental in steering the country's second largest two-wheeler manufacturer to its pre-eminent status.

Rajiv Bajaj, who is currently the joint managing director, will be elevated to the post of the managing director, He will be responsible for production, marketing, supply chain, manufacturing and production engineering.

His brother Sanjiv will head international marketing and other functions like finance, treasury, costing, secretarial, legal, corporate governance. Sanjiv Bajaj will also oversee labour relations.

Rajiv Bajaj, 38, a mechanical engineer by qualification, also holds a distinction in manufacturing systems engineering from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.

He is with Bajaj Auto since December 1990, involved with plant layout, project management, productivity, quality audit, cell management, total productivity management (TPM), total quality management (TQM), corporate engineering, product development, research and design, and market promotion.

He was vice-president (products) in June 1995 with the responsibility of identifying new product requirements. He became president of the company in May 2000 and has been leading a major technological reorientation programme of the company.

According to the Bajaj Auto's website, he has had a major role in revamping the company's marketing strategies. He was appointed joint managing director in March 2003.

Sanjiv Bajaj, 35, was general manager (corporate finance) between August 1997 and March 2001, after which he was elevated to the position of vice-president (finance). He became the executive director of the company from April 12, 2004. He has been on the board of Bajaj Auto since September 15, 2004.