Geetanjali Kirloskar is an Indian businesswoman. She is the Chairman and Managing Director of Kirloskar Systems Limited. She is the wife of Vikram Kirloskar, Vice Chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motors.
Wiki/Biography
Geetanjali Kirloskar was born on Thursday, October 14, 1965 in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (age 58 years 2023). Her zodiac sign is Libra. She attended Lawrence School in Sanawa. She studied Bachelor of Commerce from Savitribai Phule Pune University. According to her, she used to be active in sports and drama activities at school. Playing games and participating in plays helped her because she was able to check her competitive side.
Geetanjali Kirloskar (left) when she was young
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
She belongs to a bureaucratic and diplomatic background.
Parents and siblings
Her father is from the Sangli royal family of Maharashtra and her mother is Kashmiri.
Geetanjali Kirloskar (left) with Manasi (middle) and her mother (right)
She has two sisters.
Geetanjali Kirloskar and her sisters
husband and children
Geetanjali’s husband, Vikram Kirloskar, is the vice chairman of Toyota Kirloskar. He died in 2022. Her daughter’s name is Manasi Kirloskar and she is the director of Kirloskar Joint Venture Pvt Ltd.
Vikram Kirloskar with wife Geetanjali Kirloskar and daughter Manasi Kirloskar
Geetanjali and Vikram Kirloskar are known as the power couple. In an interview, Geetanjali spoke about how she agreed to marry Vikram and said:
A mutual friend threw a party. He invited both of us and our families asked his parents to introduce us to each other. Vikram is from MIT; sober, smart, and six years older. I was impressed by his charming style. After the party, he offered to give me a ride home. I am a confident girl who attended boarding school in Lawrence, Sanawa. I figured if anyone had to walk me home, why not him? Vikram took me to his house; his parents were asleep. The next morning they were surprised that I showed up at their house and wanted to know if he had proposed. But let’s take our time. What finally worked was that I wanted to study and work after marriage, and Vikram wanted the same from his partner. “
Profession
Business woman and advertising
Before becoming a businesswoman, she worked in the advertising industry. In 1998, she founded Pratibha Advertising, which is owned by the Kirloskars family. After she sold 50% of her shares to Lintas, the company was renamed Quadrant Communications and Lintas became the major shareholder of Pratibha Advertising. After working for the company for a while, she became the CEO of Quadrant Communications. In 2002, she became a director of Quadrant Communications. As of 2023, she remains a director. While working there, she attended workshops at an advertising agency in London, where she received training in brand strategy development and client service. After returning from London, she came up with the concept of “Lintertainment”. The strategy is to focus on creating a story around the brand. After working for Quadrant Communications for many years, she resigned to join the Indo-Japan Initiative as Chairman. The initiative was launched after Indian companies asked to learn to work with Japanese companies as at that time, Kirloskars was the only company working with Japanese companies. She launched the India-Japan initiative after receiving funding from several companies including Infosys, Bharat Forge, Canon, Mitsui and Citizen. In 2022, she became Chairman of Toyota Tsusho Insurance Brokers India Limited and Director of Kirloskar Systems Limited. She also served as Chairman of Kirloskar Technologies Ltd. She established Sakra World Hospital in Bangalore and serves as its Chairman.
acting
Geetanjali made her acting debut in 1992 with the Kannada film Cheluvi.
Geetanjali Kirloskar in the movie “Cheluvi”
In 2003, she guest-starred as the victim’s wife in the movie Samay.
Geetanjali Kirloskar in the movie Samay (2003)
She hosted 38 episodes of the talk show “Life’s Like That” on Times Now.
honor
In 2022 she was awarded the title of Knight 1st Class by the Grand Master of the Order of the Lion of Finland.
Geetanjali Kirloskar awarded the Lion of Finland, First Class
Favorites
- Brands: Chanel, Stella McCartney, Balmain
- Business Leader: Akio Toyoda (President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation)
- Politician: Margaret Thatcher
Facts/Trivia
- She was not a vegetarian but became a vegetarian after her marriage. Her parents-in-law used to eat meat. At the beginning of her marriage, she felt very uncomfortable, but after a few years, she also started eating meat.
- According to her, it was easier for her to work in advertising than in the family business. She said in an interview that she did not face any gender bias while working in advertising and media, but that while working in the family business, many male employees felt uncomfortable working under female bosses.
- In 2021, the Department of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education, Government of Karnataka appointed her as the head of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee.
Geetanjali Kirloskar appointed as Chairman, CSR Committee
- The Karnataka government appreciated her efforts in providing a unique 100-bed modular center for COVID-19 patients.
- In December 2022, Geetanjali wrote a “eulogy” published in the Times of India to pay tribute to her late husband Vikram Kirloskar, who died in November 2022 . She said in the letter that she didn’t want to feel sad about his death but wanted to celebrate her relationship and memories with him.
Eulogy for Geetanjali Kirloskar
- She enjoys traveling and playing golf.
Geetanjali Kirloskar plays golf
- Geetanjali loves to drink and often shares pictures of herself drinking with Vikram on social media.
Geetanjali Kirloskar enjoys wine with husband
- She and her husband were both avid travelers and since their marriage they have traveled the world.
Geetanjali Kirloskar travels with husband
- She said in an interview that whenever she goes to New York, Singapore and Europe, she likes to shop there.
- She doesn’t like to cook. She said in an interview that her husband would prepare lunch and dinner for her and her daughter on weekends.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education