Ashish Kale reappointed FADA president

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), the apex national body of automobile retail, has re-elected Ashish Harsharaj Kale as the new president at its 292ndCouncil Meeting, held today after the 55th Annual General Meeting of the Federation, in New Delhi.

The Council also re-elected Vinkesh Gulati, Partner – United Automobiles, Allahabad as the vice-president; Manish Raj Singhania, Managing Partner – Ralas Motors, Raipur as the honorary secretary and Chittoor Selvakumar Vigneshwar, Deputy Managing Director – Anaamalais Toyota, Coimbatore as the honorary treasurer for the year 2019-20.

FADA lauded the contribution made by Kale and other office bearers in making the association a strong voice of not just the dealer community but the Indian auto industry. These include steps taken to reduce dealer inventory, introduction of auto retail registration figures and liaisoning effectively with the government authorities.

Commenting on his re-appointment as FADA president, Kale said, “I am thankful to the governing council for reposing their trust in my leadership. Continuing from last year, I once again pledge to take up all dealer-related issues honestly and fearlessly and work for the betterment of the auto dealer community in turn contributing to the betterment of the Indian auto industry.”

Ashish Kale is the managing director of Provincial Automobile, Nagpur, which has been in the auto dealership business since 1930 and is one of the oldest dealer partners of Mahindra & Mahindra, both for its auto and farm equipment division. Provincial is also a dealer for BharatBenz trucks and buses, and a dealer-partner for Nissan Motor India. It also operates multiple franchisees of Mahindra First Choice Wheels. Kale is also the president of Vidarbha Automobile Dealer Association since 2012. 

Vinkesh Gulati, a law graduate and a Master’s in Commerce and Business Management, managing partner of United Automobiles, one of the largest selling Bajaj Auto dealerships, and also deals in Mahindra Automotive. He is the senior VP of the United Group of Institutions, which has educational institutions in Allahabad and Greater Noida. He is the Chapter Chairman of the Indian Industry Association, and was President of the Allahabad Automobile Dealership Association in 2010-12. Gulati has been actively associated with FADA for the past 8 years.

Manish Raj Singhania is the owner of Ralas Motors, a dealership of Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd and Mahindra Trucks & Buses. He is also the President of Raipur Automobile Dealers Associations (RADA) and the State secretary of Eastern India Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

Hailing from a business family in Coimbatore, C S Vigneshwar did his schooling in Don Bosco Chennai, later graduating in Commerce from Loyola College Chennai. He later pursued his MBA from GRD College Coimbatore before adding an MSc in International Business from Manchester Metropolitan University. In 2004, he joined the family business – the ARC Group – which is spread across goods transportation, automobile dealerships, drinking water, packaged foods, renewal energy, green energy alternatives, farming and education. The group has a strong environmental focus to add to its existing pioneering HR and CSR way of thinking.  

CS Vigneshwar has been a member of the apex consultative committee of Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles for the past 9 years and president of the Toyota India Service Dealer Council for the past 5 years. He has been a council member of FADA for the past five years.

Founded in 1964, FADA is the apex national body of automobile retail industry in India engaged in the sale, service and spares of two- and three-wheelers, passenger cars, UVs, commercial vehicles and tractors. It represents over 15,000 automobile dealers having 25,000 dealerships including 30 associations of automobile dealers at the Regional, State and City levels accounting for 90 percent
of market share in India.

Together, it employs over 2.5 million direct employees and another 2.5
million as indirect employees, making it a total of around 5 million people in the country at dealerships and service centres.

FADA India actively networks with the industry and the authorities, both at the Central and State levels, to provide its inputs and suggestions on auto policy,
taxation, vehicle registration procedure, road safety and clean environment as part of its efforts to sustain growth of the automobile retail trade in India.

Also read: Interview with Ashish H Kale – 'There will be consolidation of dealerships'