Former managing director of Maruti Suzuki India, Jagdish Khattar, passed away this morning following a cardiac arrest, according to people close to him.
Khattar (79), a former bureaucrat, was considered as one of the most high profile leaders of the Indian automotive industry, laying the foundation for Maruti's future growth after the government began its disinvestment in 2002 and gradually exited from its joint venture with Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC).
He had joined the then Maruti Udyog Ltd in July 1993 as director (marketing) and went on to become executive director (marketing) in the next six years. He was promoted as joint managing director in 1999, a year that saw various disagreements between SMC and the government.