On Thursday, Bajaj Auto marked the end of an era with longtime chairman Rahul Bajaj stepping down as the non-executive chairman of the company. Niraj Bajaj will be taking his place.
But, who is Niraj Bajaj? Here are five things to know about the new Bajaj Auto chairman:
> Born on October 10, 1954, he studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. He acquired his B.Com from Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics in Mumbai, and went on to acquire his Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School — the alma mater of his predecessor, Rahul Bajaj.
> One of the promoter-directors of the Bajaj Group, Niraj Bajaj joined the board of Bajaj Auto on September 9, 2006. His total career spans across 35 years.
> Niraj Bajaj is on the Board of Directors of Bajaj Auto Ltd, Bajaj Allianz Life and General Insurance Co Ltd, and is Chairman of Bachhraj & Company, Jamnalal Sons and various other Bajaj Group Companies. He is also Chairman & Managing Director of Mukand Limited.
> Niraj has served as President of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber. He was also President of the Alloy Steel Producer’s Association and Indian Stainless Steel Development Association.
> He has represented India in table tennis for seven years between 1970-77, out of he served as Captain for four years. He is a three-time 'All-India Table Tennis Champion' and was ranked 'India No 1' four times. He is the recipient of the Arjuna Award, India’s highest sports honour; Shiv Chhatrapati Award, Maharashtra’s highest sports honour, and the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar.