Kanwal Jeet Jawa, MD and CEO- Daikin Air Conditioning, India
In this episode, Ashutosh Garg engages in a conversation with Kanwal Jeet Jawa, MD and CEO- Daikin Air Conditioning, India. Kanwal is a senior corporate leader with four decades-long experience running global companies.
Podcast
Overview
In this episode, Ashutosh Garg engages in a conversation with Kanwal Jeet Jawa, MD and CEO- Daikin Air Conditioning, India. Kanwal is a senior corporate leader with four decades-long experience running global companies.
Kanwal reminisces about the three key milestones in his life. He talks about his revolutionary implementations in the scope of refrigeration and air conditioning. Later he discusses the gradual increase in the popularity of air conditioners in India. Kanwal talks about the introduction of foreign players in the Indian market and tells how it changed the course of the industry.
Kanwal shares the success story of Daikin in India and how he powered it. He elucidates what goes into building a successful consumer durable brand. He analyzes the effect of e-commerce in the air conditioning business.
Kanwal enlightens us by listing the qualities a good CEO should have. He tells what he looks for when he is hiring an employee. Later in the episode, he attempts to define the concept of ‘green buildings’. He talks about Bharatiya Skill Development University and the significance of skill development.
Profile
Mr. Jawa is a veteran in the air conditioning industry with almost 4 decades of experience that
incorporates establishing leading air-conditioning organizations and further creating value
simultaneously for the brand and the customers alike. Throughout his career Mr. Jawa has held
various senior management positions in the field of General Management with highly reputed
Indian and multi-national air-conditioning companies like Carrier, Voltas, Uniflair and Daikin.
In June 2018, Mr. Jawa was appointed as the first Indian Director (non-resident) on the board of Daikin Industries Ltd., Japan.
His rise to the Daikin board underscores his ability to surpass revenue & profit targets, delivering excellent service, optimizing
business efficiency thereby creating a sustainable business value. Mr. Jawa steered the Daikin India ship since 2010 through
volatile economic environment to achieve a turnover of INR 5200 Cr, leveraging two factories and a research & development
center. Today, Daikin India has established market presence across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, South America
& East Africa.
His long term vision to improve the lagging skill level prevailing in the Indian HVAC industry, especially in the unorganized
sector, led to the inception of a successful CSR initiative, focused on training and learning, named as Daikin “Centers of
Excellence”. And as the President of Daikin Japanese Institute of Manufacturing Excellence (DJIME), he is supporting
and spearheading the Indo-Japan collaborative initiative in India on behalf of Daikin.
He holds prestigious position in the Executive Committee of Indian Green Building Council (IGBC); and is the Vice Chairman,
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Delhi State. He is an active member of Refrigeration and Air-conditioning
Manufacturers Association (RAMA) and sits on the advisory board of Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Management, Delhi;
and a member of the governing body of the renowned Bhartiya Skill Development University, Jaipur.
The relentless pursuit in achieving excellence in each and every field of air-conditioning and refrigeration industry makes him
the man with the “Midas Touch”.
Awards, Felicitation & Recognition:
Daikin CEO Award, 2017 & 2020
Daikin Distinguished Service Award, 2018
Distinguished Service Award for Nation Building, New Delhi Institute of Management, 2018
CEO of the Year Award, FORE School of Management, 2018.
India Green Building Council Senior Fellowship Award, 2017
Carrier APO President Award – Best General Manager, 1992
