Vikram Lal

Vikram Lal (born 1942) is an Indian businessman. Lal is the founder and former CEO of Eicher Motors, an Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer based in New Delhi, India.^[1] He has been a member of the board of directors of The Doon School.^[2] As per the Forbes list of India’s 100 richest tycoons, as of 9 October 2024, Vikram Lal and his family are ranked 31st with a net worth of $8.8 billion.^[3]

Vikram Lal
Born	1942 (1942) (age 83)
Nationality	Indian
Alma mater	Technische Universität Darmstadt
Occupation	Businessman
Title	Founder of Eicher Motors
Spouse	Anita Lal
Children	3, including Siddhartha Lal
Website	www.eicher.in

Early life and education

Vikram Lal was born in 1942.^[4] He studied mechanical engineering at the Technische Universität Darmstadt.^[5][6][7]

Business career

In 1966, Lal joined Eicher India, part of his family owned companies established by his father, Man Mohan Lal, in 1948.^[8][9] Eicher started as the first tractor manufacturer in India in 1959 under the company name Eicher Tractor Corporation of India Pvt. Ltd., as a joint venture with German tractor manufacturer Eicher, and eventually branched out into light commercial vehicles in 1986, and then into heavy vehicles.^[10] In 1985, he took a step back in detailed management of his companies as result of a heart bypass, which also contributed to his later decision of handing over management control of his companies to professionals.^[11] In 1997, Lal retired from all executive roles in his companies and handed control over to professional managers.^[12][13]

Personal life

Lal is married to Anita Lal and they have 3 children.^[14][11] Anita founded the lifestyle brand Good Earth.^[14] His son, Siddhartha Lal, became CEO of Eicher Motors in 2006.^[9][13] One of his daughters, Simran, runs the family's two lifestyle brands, Good Earth and Nicobar.^[5][6][13] Lal spends his retirement years volunteering at his own Goodearth Education Foundation.^[5]