The man behind the wheel: Biography of Apollo Tyres' Kanwar

dZired · 20th December 2016, 10:57

Onkar S. Kanwar, founder of Apollo Tyres, has launched his biography - The man behind the wheel. The biography, which is composed by writer Tim Bouquet, offers an insight into the struggles of the industrialist and his journey of starting Apollo Tyres from scratch in 1974 to making it a global player.

Kanwar, who is currently the chairman and CEO of Apollo Tyres, has been at the helm of the company ever since its inception. He has lead Apollo Tyres from a single-plant manufacturing firm to a multinational enterprise with six plants worldwide. The biography also talks about the initial days of Apollo Tyres and Kanwar's struggles in building factories at Vadodara and Chennai, and eventually taking it to the global level with production plants in Netherlands and Hungary.

Apollo Tyres reported a year-on-year profit growth of 12% in FY 2015-16, with its total revenue amounting to Rs. 11,708 crore and a net profit of Rs. 1,093 crore. It is currently the 17th largest tyre manufacturer in the world.

Source: ET Auto

The man behind the wheel: Biography of Apollo Tyres' Kanwar-onkarsinghkanwarchairmanapollotyresltd.jpg

Link to Team-BHP News

GTO · 21st December 2016, 10:26

Many thanks for sharing, Bhavik! As someone who's a voracious reader & loves books on cars / business, I've placed an order. Will update this thread with a review, but it'll take some time (as I'm currently reading another book).

Sucks that it's not available on Kindle though. I hate paper:

The man behind the wheel: Biography of Apollo Tyres' Kanwar-capture.jpg

GTO · 23rd January 2017, 16:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

I've placed an order. Will update this thread with a review, but it'll take some time (as I'm currently reading another book)

So, I completed the book. Would rate it as 'decent', but certainly not 'excellent'.

It's a good read if you want to know more about how the giant 'Apollo Tyres' was created. On the flip side, the author is clearly a fan of the family. Comes out as too biased in many ways. Some paragraphs appear like they've been written by a public relations professional.

Don't expect much criticism, controversy or depth in this book. Still, a decent read on Apollo. I don't consider my time wasted.

SmartCat · 3rd April 2017, 20:21

Came across this article on Onkar Singh's father Raunaq Singh -

Had To Sell Wife's Jewellery For Rs. 8,000, Then Created A Multi-Million Firm From Scratch
https://www.kenfolios.com/sell-wifes...-firm-scratch/

Not exactly a Riches To Rags To Riches story, because Rs. 8,000 was a decent sum in 1950s. Approximately equal to Rs. 40 Lacs in today's money, assuming 10% inflation.

20th December 2016, 10:57	#1
dZired Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,861 Thanked: 7,960 Times View My Garage	The man behind the wheel: Biography of Apollo Tyres' Kanwar Onkar S. Kanwar, founder of Apollo Tyres, has launched his biography - The man behind the wheel. The biography, which is composed by writer Tim Bouquet, offers an insight into the struggles of the industrialist and his journey of starting Apollo Tyres from scratch in 1974 to making it a global player. Kanwar, who is currently the chairman and CEO of Apollo Tyres, has been at the helm of the company ever since its inception. He has lead Apollo Tyres from a single-plant manufacturing firm to a multinational enterprise with six plants worldwide. The biography also talks about the initial days of Apollo Tyres and Kanwar's struggles in building factories at Vadodara and Chennai, and eventually taking it to the global level with production plants in Netherlands and Hungary. Apollo Tyres reported a year-on-year profit growth of 12% in FY 2015-16, with its total revenue amounting to Rs. 11,708 crore and a net profit of Rs. 1,093 crore. It is currently the 17th largest tyre manufacturer in the world. Source: ET Auto Link to Team-BHP News
	(8) Thanks

21st December 2016, 10:26	#2
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,546 Thanked: 300,764 Times View My Garage	Re: The man behind the wheel: Biography of Apollo Tyres' Kanwar Many thanks for sharing, Bhavik! As someone who's a voracious reader & loves books on cars / business, I've placed an order. Will update this thread with a review, but it'll take some time (as I'm currently reading another book). Sucks that it's not available on Kindle though. I hate paper:
	(4) Thanks

3rd April 2017, 20:21	#4
SmartCat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,429 Thanked: 42,951 Times View My Garage	Re: The man behind the wheel: Biography of Apollo Tyres' Kanwar Came across this article on Onkar Singh's father Raunaq Singh - Had To Sell Wife's Jewellery For Rs. 8,000, Then Created A Multi-Million Firm From Scratch https://www.kenfolios.com/sell-wifes...-firm-scratch/ Not exactly a Riches To Rags To Riches story, because Rs. 8,000 was a decent sum in 1950s. Approximately equal to Rs. 40 Lacs in today's money, assuming 10% inflation.
	(1) Thanks