New chief executive officer to head Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield's new CEO is Balakrishnan Govindarajan,  India's business press is reporting. He takes over from Venki Padmanabhan, who becomes head of new initiatives for Royal Enfield's parent corporation, Eicher Motors, Ltd.

As senior vice president for industry, Govindarajan was one of three executives who, with Padmanabhan, ran Royal Enfield, The Economic Times  reported in 2011.

A special responsibility of his has been preparing the new 50-acre factory in Oragadam near Chennai, intended to help meet the surging demand for Royal Enfield motorcycles.

He was previously head of operations for Suzlon Energy Ltd., one of the world's leading manufacturers of wind turbines. It appears that he was with Royal Enfield as general manager of operations from 2001-2005 before joining Suzlon.

He has a BE degree from Annamalai University, in Tamil Nadu, India, which he attended from 1985-'89.

This report is pieced together from information found on the Internet. A report in The Hindu refers to Govindarajan's new title as "Chief Operating Officer."

Royal Enfield has done well in its home market of India. Aside from unparalleled sales growth, it recently announced two new models and a line of branded riding clothing and equipment.