VIKAS JHABAKH, Managing Director, Benelli India

Benelli were on shaky grounds in India owing to the financial crisis their previous Indian partner went through. Thankfully, the Chinese-owned Italian motorcycle brand acted fast and formed an alliance with Adishwar Auto Ride India (AARI), which is part of the Mahavir Group. The young and forward-thinking Vikas Jhabakh was given the task of restoring the motorcycle brand to its glory. He had been part of Mahavir Group since 2009 and took charge as the Managing Director of Benelli India in 2018. He holds an MBA from the Emory University – Goizueta Business School and the University of Warwick – Warwick Business School.

Since Jhabakh took office in 2018, Benelli have been busy boosting the confidence of their dealers and brand loyalists. The company also introduced the TRK adventure-tourer motorcycles in India, followed by the Leoncino 500 and the 250 scrambler models. Giving cruiser lovers a new option, Benelli also brought the Imperiale 400 to their line-up. Internationally, the brand is working on the new TNT600i naked as well as the fully faired 600RR which, hopefully, will be brought to India soon.