B.M. Munjal
Chairman, Hero Group
Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year (2001)

B.M. Munjal (Brij Mohan Lall Munjal) is the man behind the Hero Group, among India's most respected and successful corporate houses. A first generation entrepreneur, his journey of humble beginnings has since paved the way to a destination of unprecedented success. Today, the Hero Honda Group is acclaimed as the largest manufacturer of two-wheelers in the world.

It was in 1944 that Brij Mohan Lall Munjal first forayed into the world of business at age 20. He, along with his three brothers, Dayanand, Satyanand and Om Prakash, moved from their birthplace Kamalia in Pakistan to Amritsar and began supplying components to the local bicycle business. Post-partition, the family was compelled to shift to Ludhiana, renowned for its bicycle business and textiles. Soon, the Munjals spread their bicycle component distribution network across the country to become one of India's largest bicycle parts suppliers. Backwardly integrating, they shifted gears from supplying to manufacturing handlebars, front forks and chains.

Soon after, in 1956, opportunity knocked in the form of twelve new licenses issued by the Punjab State Government for the manufacture of bicycles. Leveraging the prospects, the Munjals established Hero Cycles backed by the Government funding of Rs.600000. Registered as 'a large-scale industrial unit', the company produced 7500 units annually. Leaving the competition behind (which included established players like Raleigh, Hind Cycles and Atlas Cycles), Hero Cycles raced ahead. Sturdy, reliable and cheaper, the Hero cycle gave customers value for their money.

In January 1984, the Japanese motorcycle major, Honda, expressed interest in collaboration with the Hero Group to manufacture motorcycles in India. The following year, the two companies inked the deal and the first Hero Honda motorbike rolled out of the factories on 13th April, 1985. The rest, as they say, is history.

In 2001, B.M. Munjal was awarded with Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Hero Group's success. Even today, he continues to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs to tread on the road not taken and set new milestones for generations to come…