Dr Pawan Goenka first Indian to be awarded FISITA Medal of Honour

Dr Pawan Goenka, executive director of Mahindra & Mahindra and chairman of the Board of SsangYong Motors, has been awarded the 2016 FISITA Medal of Honor. Dr Goenka is the first Indian to receive this prestigious recognition.

He was given the award yesterday at the 36^th FISITA World Automotive Congress being held in Busan, South Korea. The accolade was awarded in recognition of his "particularly distinguished achievement and leadership in the global automotive industry."

The biennial FISITA conference in Busan, Korea, was the largest gathering of automotive engineers outside the US.

The next FISITA conference is to be held in Chennai in October 2018, for the first time in India. Dr Goenka in a tweet said, “I appeal to all automotive engineers in India to help make it a grand success.”

The announcement of Dr Goenka having won the 2016 FISITA medal was first made at the 20th anniversary celebrations of SAE India on March 22, 2016 in Chennai. 

According to FISITA’s nominations committee, the recognition of Dr Goenka is a result of "...his lifetime of renowned service to the industry throughout his extensive career and, in particular, recognition of his leadership in transforming Mahindra & Mahindra’s engineering and R&D capability and the subsequent growth of its automotive business and global footprint”. The committee added that it was "keen to recognise his support for young people and their careers within the automotive sector, which is commendable and worthy of recognition.”

Dr Goenka, who is considered the father of the Mahindra Scorpio, has successfully led Mahindra & Mahindra's automotive and farm equipment businesses before taking on a larger role in the company as its executive director. He is also known as the ‘prime architect’ of SAE India – the national body of automotive engineers in India.

Dr Goenka is also the only person to be voted Autocar Professional's 'Man of the Year' twice (2006, 2011)

Speaking on the recognition, Dr Pawan Goenka said, “It is an honour to have been chosen for this recognition by FISITA which I dedicate humbly to the automotive fraternity in India. I am particularly grateful to Mahindra & Mahindra for providing me with a vast canvas to help me realise my dreams. The award is a tribute to the spirit of RISE which Mahindra stands for and represents through its research and development, products and services.”

The FISITA medal is a prestigious recognition conferred by Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Ingénieurs des Techniques de l'Automobile, a federation of associations of automotive engineering societies from across the globe. FISITA is the umbrella organisation for the national automotive societies around the world. Its network of member societies represents over 200,000 automotive engineers. The FISITA medal is awarded to an individual for distinguished achievements in automobile engineering. 

FISITA’s goal is to provide a forum for dialogue amongst these engineers, as well as industry, government, academia, environmental and standards organisations. It is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation controlled by the engineering profession and supported by the global automotive industry. 

Established in 1970, the medal has been awarded to individuals who have made a positive and substantial contribution to the industry. Previous FISITA medal winners include Giovanni Agnelli, Carlos Ghosn, Hans List, Francois Michelin and Shoichiro Toyoda.

Also see: Full list of FISITA Medal winners