The National Institution for Quality and Reliability (NIQR) has appointed Raj Srinivasan as its first ever Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Mentor in 35 years. Raj is an accomplished professional with expertise in managing Industry Associations / Chambers of Commerce and has excellent knowledge of the Automotive Sector. In his previous avatars, he had lead the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) Southern Region for over 15 years as Regional Director. He has worked closely with several stalwarts in the automotive industry. As a part of the Government-Industry team, he had also played a key role in attracting big ticket investments like Ford, Hyundai and BMW into Tamil Nadu. He is also credited with coordinating the Golden Jubilee celebrations of ACMA wherein he was instrumental in bringing out commemoratives in the form of a Coffee Table Book and Film, capturing the history of the Indian Automotive Industry. Subsequently he also headed the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) for over 6 years as its Regional Director for South. With his knowledge, experience, skills and passion to promote industry and trade, NIQR is confident that he will play a pivotal role in shifting NIQR to the next level – that of becoming a global organisation to reckon with. As a part of his role, he would be exploring possibilities of collaborating with counterpart organisations globally for a win-win situation.
At the recently held Executive Committee meeting of the National Institution for Quality & Reliability (NIQR), K. Manikandan, Head MPS, RSO & Logistics – Vice President, Ashok Leyland Ltd., was elected as the National President of NIQR for 2021-23. NIQR has its Headquarters in Chennai. Manikandan is an automotive industry veteran with over 28 years with Ashok Leyland in various functions, starting as a GET and moving up the ranks. He is one of the youngest National President of NIQR. He has complete understanding of the Electric Vehicle Architecture and led the complete development of Electric Bus at Ashok Leyland. He is Six Sigma Black Belt and JUSE trained TQM professional, who has assisted two plants to receive the prestigious Deming Prize. During the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India, he was instrumental in NIQR contributing Rs. 25 lakhs to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Fund. As the President of NIQR, his vision is to make NIQR a Global Organisation to reckon with.