Turnaround Tycoon!

He’s triumphed over the perfect storm once but Vinod K. Dasari, MD, Ashok Leyland, is already preparing for the next one even though the sailing has been absolutely smooth in the recent times.

- Niranjan Mudholkar

I must confess that I approached my interview with Vinod K. Dasari, MD, Ashok Leyland, with a bit of a bias. I was anticipating to meet a person who would be very serious and stiffin his approach to the interview. I was wrong! While being a thorough professional, Dasari came across as a very affable and down to earth person. A few minutes with him and I realised that he is a knowledgeable person who is always prepared to face any question or challenge without losing his composure or smile.

Dasari started his journey with Ashok Leyland way back in 2005 as the Chief Operating Officer. “It’s unusual for a young person to join at a senior level in this Company. So, that had its own bit of challenges. But once you get into it, people accept you for who you are. It was a great learning experience from 2005 to 2008. In 2008, I became a whole-time director. In fact, even before I had joined, the discussion was that if you perform well and if you learn well, you will have the opportunity to become the Managing Director. So, whatever was said was coming my way,” he shares. Although Dasari became the Managing Director in 2011, his predecessor was still involved in the top level decision-making process as the Executive Vice Chairman. The predecessor stepped down in 2013 giving complete charge of the organisation to Dasari.

Trial by fire