Vijay Kumar: No Country Can Benefit Pakistan More Than India

Vijay Kumar is a Pune-based veteran insurance professional with more than four decades of experience spanning the automobile and general insurance industries. His career has taken him from the early days of India’s automobile revolution to senior leadership positions in some of the country’s leading automobile and insurance companies. He began his professional career with Kirloskar Pneumatic Company in 1978. In 1982, he joined Maruti Udyog Ltd. (now Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.) as part of the pioneering team that helped establish the company and transform India’s automobile industry. Working in the after-sales division, he was involved in quality control, customer satisfaction and the development of systems for collecting and analysing feedback from customers and the field. He subsequently joined Hyundai Motor India in 1997 and was again part of the company’s start-up team. As Senior Manager and later Deputy General Manager, he was involved in establishing Hyundai’s after-sales network and training operations. He takes particular pride in the fact that the network he helped build contributed to Hyundai achieving a position among the top three companies in customer satisfaction. In 2001, Vijay Kumar joined Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company and became part of another pioneering start-up team. Over nearly 16 years, he rose through a succession of senior positions—from Head of Motor Claims to Associate Vice President, Vice President, Senior Vice President and ultimately President. As President, he headed a wide range of important functions, including motor own-damage and third-party claims, motor underwriting, extended-warranty underwriting, automotive and white-goods businesses, and consumer legal cases. He also played a major role in developing the company’s automotive sales and distribution network, including relationships with automobile manufacturers, oil companies and NBFCs. His work contributed to expanding the company’s motor and extended-warranty businesses while maintaining profitability. He was also involved in introducing innovative motor insurance products, some of which were described as being introduced in India for the first time. He later joined Go Digit General Insurance, where he served as Principal Officer and also held the position of Chief Executive Officer. Across his career, he has accumulated extensive experience in insurance, automobiles, customer service, claims management, underwriting, distribution and corporate leadership. Beyond his professional career, Vijay Kumar has a longstanding personal interest in Pakistan and Pakistani culture. Growing up in India, he enjoyed watching plays on Pakistan Television (PTV), which gave him an early familiarity with Pakistani television and culture. Originally from Mukerian, near Gurdaspur, he has also visited Kartarpur with members of his family. During the visit, the women in his family developed a particular liking for Pakistani women’s clothing and bought several outfits. They continue to wear these clothes on special occasions—an interesting and personal example of the cultural connections that continue to exist between ordinary Indians and Pakistanis despite the political tensions between the two countries. Vijay Kumar remains deeply interested in history, politics, current affairs and India-Pakistan relations. His professional experience, personal background and longstanding interest in Pakistani culture give him a distinctive perspective on the possibilities for greater understanding, interaction and cooperation between the two countries. *********************************** Shakil Chaudhary is a journalist, author, and researcher. He is an alumnus of Government College, Lahore. He later studied International Relations at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, and Media and Communications at the London School of Economics. Over the years, he has worked for several leading English-language newspapers and a few other organizations. He is the author of the critically acclaimed bilingual book Handbook of Functional English (Ferozsons), designed to help South Asians improve their English language skills. These are some of his notable interviews: 👉 Sardar Masood Khan, former president, AJK, Part 1:    • Copying Tharoor? Shakil Chaudhary Slammed ...   👉 Sardar Masood Khan, former president, AJK, Part 2:    • "You Are Representing India," Sardar Masoo...   👉 Ambassador Abdul Basit:    • Ambassador Abdul Basit: Pakistan has not d...   👉 Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani:    • Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani, former ISI chief: W...   👉 Shahid Siddiqui, a former member of India’s parliament:    • Shahid Siddiqui: The partition ruined Indi...   You’re welcome to follow him on these social media platforms: 👉   / shakilchaudharyofficial   👉   / shakil.chaudary   👉   / shakchaudhary