When Maruti Suzuki India recently extended Shinzo Nakanishi’s tenure as managing director and chief executive officer for three years until December 2013, it was a vindication of sorts. For the many people, who had raised an eyebrow when Nakanishi joined as the first foreign CEO of the company in 2007, the decision this time came as no surprise.
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Maruti Suzuki, under the stewardship of Nakanishi, became the first Indian company to roll out a million vehicles last year. In a market where competition has steamed up with new cars launched every year, Maruti Suzuki has continued to maintain pole position. Every second passenger car run on Indian roads continues to come from the Maruti stable. The Indian arm contributes over a quarter to Suzuki’s global revenues.
Nakanishi, who for the most part has maintained a low profile, has been associated with the company since its inception in the early 1980s. However, he came to be recognised only in the 1990s during a spat between the government and Suzuki over control of the joint venture. He retreated into the shadows after the dispute was resolved, only to resurface in 2004 when the partners differed over investments in the company.
Nakanishi could take credit for helping to resolve those issues, both of which saw Suzuki emerging stronger in the tie-up. Nakanishi authored the new joint venture agreement between Suzuki and the government in early 2006. He is a company veteran, having worked with Suzuki for over 40 years, and has been in the parent’s key international markets — China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Hungary and East Asia — prior to coming here.
