Kinetic Group chairman Arun Firodia has been honoured by the President of India with the prestigious Padma Shri award in the trade and industry category. Founder of Kinetic Engineering, he developed India’s first totally indigenous moped, the Luna. He is also credited with introducing one of the most advanced scooter models in India in a joint venture with Honda Motor Co.

He has also collaborated with many foreign companies for manufacturing advanced technology products. His efforts have also led to starting up and nurturing of many of today’s automotive suppliers. He has also been instrumental in setting up the new Auto Cluster in Pune, expected to give a boost to the Indian automotive industry.

Apart from a B.Tech in electrical engineering from IIT Bombay, Mr Firodia holds a Masters in electrical engineering (MS) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA (MS in Management) from the Sloan School of Management.