Jagdish Khattar is the former Managing Director of Maruti Udyog Limited. Prior to this post, he has been an officer of the Indian Administrative Service with more than 37 years of experience. He is the current vice-president of 'Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers'. He has overseen a restructuring of the company in face of increased competition caused by the foray of various foreign car players in the Indian market. After hanging up his boots at Maruti Suzuki, he has turned an entrepreneur and decided to set up an independent multi-brand pan India sales and service network in the automobile sector. On 30 Sep 2008, Mr. Jagdish Khattar announced his next venture - Carnation Auto, with a vision of developing India's largest independent multi-brand automobile sales and service network. For more information on his venture visit www.carnation.in. Khattar joined the company on July 01, 1993 as director(marketing) and went on to become executive director(marketing). In 1999, he was appointed as the second Managing Director of Maruti Udyog. That year, on August 18, 1999, after a controversy between Suzuki and the Indian Government, he was nominated by the Government of India and appointed to the post of managing director and chief executive officer. In order to fulfill a revised joint venture agreement that stated that the Government of India and Suzuki take turns appointing a new Managing Director and Chairman every tenure, Khattar resigned and was immediately re-appointed as managing director, nominated by Suzuki, on May 30, 2002. Khattar completed a Bachelor in Arts(Honours) degree from St Stephen's College, Delhi and his LLB from Delhi University. He then joined the Indian Administrative Service, serving as: District Magistrate, Chamoli, UP (1969-72) Managing Director, UP State Industrial Development Corporation (1975-78) Director, Tea Board of India, London (1979-83) Chairman, Tea Board, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India (1983-84) Chairman and Managing Director, UP State Cement Corporation (1984-86) Secretary, Department of Transport, Uttar Pradesh (UP) & Chairman, UP State Road Transport Corporation (1986-88) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Government of India (1988-93)
