Vikram S Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor passed away due to a heart attack on Wednesday. He was 64. ‘A Passionate Engineer’, this professional description epitomizes the personality of Vikram Kirloskar . Life, more than business, is unpredictable and uncertain. Who could have thought that a meeting with him on Friday, November 25, at the event to unveil the Innova HyCross, the latest from Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM), would be the last.
Vikram Kirloskar, the vice-chairman of the joint venture between the world’s second largest carmaker Toyota, and the Kirloskar Group, has been the face of the joint venture which is into its 25 years of operations. The joint venture is also the first major project that led Karnataka’s journey as a global auto industry manufacturing hub.
An alumnus of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the fourth generation member of Kirloskar Family, had a passion for a well-balanced lifestyle. His gentle personality, with a smile and a husky voice, will always remain in the minds and hearts of many. Kirloskar looked beyond the frontiers of the business of profit and loss balance sheets.
It’s not surprising that Toyota Kirloskar Motor has achieved a high level of sustainability in its operations. Vikram Kirloskar was earlier a President of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Last year he was awarded the IIM (Indian Institute of Metals) -JRD Tata Award for 2020. The award was conferred on him for his service to the country through his ‘Excellence in Corporate Leadership in Metallurgical Industries’. An ardent optimist, Kirloskar was also prophetic. As an industrialist, Kirloskar never hesitated to speak his mind on topics beyond his company.
Gone too early at 64, the indelible impression Kirloskar left on the various avenues of business and life will live beyond him. He will be deeply missed by many people in diverse sectors. Our deepest condolences to the Kirloskar family, and all associated with him professionally and personally.
