IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT

DHEERAJ HINDUJA HAS STEERED COMMERCIAL VEHICLES MAJOR ASHOK LEYLAND OUT OF THE RED LANE AND INTO THE BLACK, GROWING AT A FASTER PACE THAN THE INDUSTRY. THE GROWTH IS LIKELY TO SUSTAIN, EVEN AS THE COMPANY AIMS TO PLUG GAPS IN ITS PORTFOLIO AND PREPARE FOR A MULTI-FUEL FUTURE

- ALOKESH BHATTACHARYYA

AS WE UNHURRIEDLY head for the photo shoot for this article, the query comes, softly: "Do we really need to do this?" On affirmation from this correspondent, our protagonist resigns himself to his fate, and poses, hesitant and unsure, for a series of photos taken by BT's cheery photographer. Sensing the opportunity, his communication personnel also jump into the act, happily snapping away with their phone cameras, lamenting the fact that their boss doesn't pose for the cameras for internal events and messages. The shyness in the photo shoot is quite contrary to the interview that precedes it, where the boss takes questions with a quiet, confident calm, parrying curveballs with assured élan. Quite clearly, Dheeraj Gopichand Hinduja is more interested in focussing on his work and letting others take the limelight, a trait that comes through clearly in the interview, where he repeatedly emphasises the key role played by his people in the performance of Ashok Leyland, India's third-biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles (after Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra or M&M) and secondbiggest manufacturer of trucks (after Tata Motors).