Maruti Suzuki India Chairman R. C. Bhargava, on Thursday, said voting by minority shareholders over developing manufacturing facilities in Gujarat through a wholly-owned subsidiary of parent Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) was likely to happen in November instead of October as was envisaged earlier.
“It is a long procedure. We have not finalised as of now. October will not be possible because time is not adequate for that. The earliest it can happen is in November,” Mr. Bhargava said on the sidelines of an event organised by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. Asked about the resignation of Mayank Pareek, the chief operating officer (marketing and sales) of Maruti Suzuki India, he said, “I am not sure why it is such a newsworthy story because senior colleagues have been leaving the company all the time… This is part of the way what happens in all companies”.
Further, on the impact of Mr. Pareek’s resignation on Maruti’s shareholders, Mr. Bhargava said, “I think Maruti is not a company which is run by individuals. It is a company which is run by systems and processes. It certainly would be incorrect to believe that shareholders invest because of persons. I think they invest because of what a company is and how it is run and what the systems are.” Later in the day, Maruti announced the appointment of R. S. Kalsi as head of domestic marketing and sales. Mr. Kalsi, who is currently Executive Director heading the parts, accessories and outbound logistics divisions of the company, will report to the Managing Director Kenichi Ayukawa, the company said in a statement.
Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, will continue to head international marketing for the company, and will also report to Mr. Ayukawa.
Mr. Ayukawa said, “Having worked in close partnership with the company’s domestic dealer network, Mr. Kalsi has a sound understanding of customer needs and preferences.” “With Kalsi heading our domestic marketing and sales efforts, and Shashank spearheading our international operations, we will be in a very good position to strengthen our bond with customers as we move towards our medium term goal of two million annual vehicles sales,” he added.
