Baba Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Forge, was honoured with the 2024 USIBC Global Leadership Award for his transformative leadership. Kalyani’s five-decade-long leadership reshaped Bharat Forge into a global technology leader.

At the event, Kalyani was celebrated for his immense contributions to India's manufacturing sector, particularly in the areas of technology and defence.

In his acceptance speech, Kalyani expressed his gratitude to the USIBC jury and the US Chamber of Commerce for the honour. Reflecting on his long-standing connection with the United States, Kalyani recounted how his engineering education at MIT in the 1970s laid the foundation for his vision of transforming Bharat Forge into one of the world’s leading technology-driven manufacturing companies.

At the time, the company was a small, family-run forging business with sales of just $1 million. Today, under his leadership, Bharat Forge has grown into a diversified, global powerhouse.

A Journey of Transformation

Kalyani highlighted how the economic reforms of the 1990s, led by then-Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and Finance Minister Manmohan Singh, provided entrepreneurs with the freedom to innovate and expand. These reforms enabled Bharat Forge to transition from a domestic Indian company into a global player. He also acknowledged the strong partnerships his company has built with US firms, particularly in the defence sector.

Drawing inspiration from the US's rise as a global superpower during World War II, Kalyani emphasised the importance of manufacturing and technology in building national strength. He also praised the evolving partnership between the US and India, noting that it now centres on intellectual capabilities and talent, particularly in emerging industries such as semiconductors.

Partnerships For The Future

During his speech, Kalyani expressed his admiration for India's growing engineering talent ecosystem, especially in cities like Bengaluru and Delhi, which have become hubs of innovation in semiconductor design. While India has made significant strides in this area, Kalyani stressed the need for more focus on manufacturing, where Bharat Forge plays a pivotal role.

Kalyani’s leadership in steering Bharat Forge into the defence sector was another key highlight of the evening. He spoke about his company’s foray into manufacturing critical defence equipment, inspired by the US’s wartime manufacturing efforts under President Franklin D Roosevelt. This move has allowed Bharat Forge to become a key player in India’s defence industry, with an expanding export order book.

(With Inputs From Agencies)