Arun Firodia (born 1943) is an Indian industrialist, social activist and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Kinetic Group, India's leading manufacturers and exporters of two wheelers. Kinetic Group is an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and produces forging, gears, shafts, gear boxes, rigid axles for EVs and chassis, catering to global and domestic automotive industry.
Arun is the founder and chairman of the H.K. Firodia Memorial Foundation. Established in 1996, in memory of his father, the awards honoured exceptional Indian scientists for their contribution with H.K. Firodia Awards for Excellence in Science & Technology. During 25 years, many eminent scientists received awards, of whom Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was the first recipient of the award.
Early Life & Education Arun Firodia did his early schooling from MES Bal Shikshan Mandir, Pune and then from Modern High School, Pune. He obtained his B.Tech with distinction in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 1965. He is also an alumnus of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) where he obtained his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1997 and his M.S. in Management in 1968 from Sloan School of Management.
Arun Firodia was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, in 2012. In 2023, Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune conferred Arun with Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa).
Industry Associations
Chairman, H.K. Firodia Memorial Foundation - 1996 onwards Founder President, Pune Citizens Police Foundation - 2001 onwards President, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MCCIA) - 2000-2002 Trustee, Janwani, Pune (Sustainability focussed NGO) Member, High Powered Committee, National Aerospace Labs - 2010-2012 Chairman, Research Council of CSIR-CSIO, Chandigarh - 2010-2017 Chair Professorship, IIT Bombay - 2024 onwards Chair Mentorship at Defence Institute of Advance Technology (DIAT), Pune - 2025 onwards
Personal Life Arun Firodia was born in 1943 to the late freedom fighter Pankunwar Firodia and late industrialist H.K. Firodia, founder of Kinetic Engineering Limited. He is married to Dr. Jayshree Firodia who is a pediatrician. They have three daughters, Kimaya, Sulajja, and Vismaya, and one son, Ajinkya.
References
External links Arun Firodia Kinetic Groups's chairman profile Arun Firodia