The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) and Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), Japan, unlocked a new chapter in ‘Thought Leadership’ by announcing a game-changing tie-up for the future. The leading Indian B-School will strategize and prepare a Vision 2050 document for charting the future prospects of the global automotive giant, headquartered in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’. Prof. Debashis Chatterjee , Director IIMK and Mr. Kinji Saito, Director & Senior Managing Officer, Suzuki Motor Corporation were the signatories for this landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed here in Kozhikode.

The collaboration will witness IIM Kozhikode linking the greatest Indo-Japan success story (Maruti Suzuki India Limited) (1981-2022) ever scripted, with a strategic roadmap for business imperatives beyond mobility, for the next 30 years for SMC. The research study to be undertaken by IIMK will endeavor to unravel the secret behind the success of SMC in India, the company’s impact on Indian economy as well as the larger Indian society, and the reasons behind its sustained dominance in Indian markets. Experts at IIMK will also identify the possible strategic directions for the next 30 years (2022-2050) in SMC’s core mobility business. The findings of this consultative research - which involves visits to SMC headquarters in India and Japan, interviews with top leadership of SMC and stakeholders of the mobility ecosystem – will be brought out in the form of a Vision 2050 book jointly by IIMK and SMC.

Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director IIMK, expressed his happiness over this coming together and added “The fascinating story of the success of Maruti-Suzuki has many invaluable lessons not just for the corporate leaders but also for entrepreneurs, who never give up and doggedly hold on to their work ethics and organizational culture. IIM Kozhikode’s attempt to capture and decipher the lessons from SMC’s history to chart a Vision 2050 document for the next 30 years will be an exercise and contribution in thought leadership endeavoring to create a global impact on the future of mobility deeply embedded in civilizational values.”