Manasi Tata, daughter of the late Vikram Kirloskar, is set to be elevated as the Vice-Chairperson of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) after the untimely demise of her father in November last year.
The proposal is set to be taken up for discussion at the board meeting scheduled to be held this week, said people in the know.
Manasi’s elevation shows the immense faith Toyota Motor Corporation – Japan’s largest automaker – has in the Kirloskar family as a strong joint venture partner.
In a short span of time, following the sad and untimely death of Vikram Kirloskar on November 29, 2022, the company first inducted his daughter in some of the group companies like Toyota Industries Engine India (TIEI), Kirloskar Toyota Textile Machinery (KTTM), Toyota Material Handling India (TMHIN), and Denso Kirloskar Industries (DNKI). And now, Manasi is being seen as a worthy successor as Vice-Chairperson.
A fifth-generation scion of the Kirloskar empire, Manasi is a graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design and is trained in the Toyota manufacturing processes and Japanese work culture. Deeply involved with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, Ms. Manasi Tata is committed to taking forward her father’s vision of accomplishing national goals and maintaining relationships with various stakeholders that have grown stronger over the years. An email sent to the company to confirm the decision of Manasi’s appointment as vice-chairperson of TKM did not elicit any response till the time of publishing.
The development happens at a time when the Indian subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation has posted its best-ever sales in a decade in CY2022 and is set to play a much bigger role, not only in the domestic market but also as a key sourcing supplier for the Japanese automaker’s global operations.