2012 Pinnacle Awardee
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Harman International Industries, Inc.
Dinesh Paliwal has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Harman International (NYSE:HAR) since July 1, 2007, and was also appointed Chairman on July 1, 2008. He instituted major change initiatives at Harman to simplify and strengthen the company’s operations. These include the formation of a diverse and multi-cultural board, recruitment of a seasoned executive management team, expansion of the company’s footprint and revenue in the emerging markets, propelling Harman’s innovation pipeline dramatically. To put the company on a profitable growth trajectory, he transformed the company culture and launched best in class business processes which delivered an unprecedented $450 million in sustained cost savings.
Mr. Paliwal has worked and lived in six countries on four continents, including the United States, China, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, and India. Prior to joining Harman, he spent 22 years with ABB Group, where he last held the dual role of President of ABB Group with responsibility for the company’s global P&L, and Chairman/CEO - ABB North America. He drove profitable growth by eliminating the cultural and organizational silos among multiple P&L operations globally and turned the multi-billion North American operation profitable following 18 years of losses.
In addition to the Harman Board, Mr. Paliwal serves on the board of Tyco International. He also serves on the board of American India Foundation (AIF) and Business Advisory Council of Farmer School of Business, Miami University. He is a member of the CEO Business Roundtable in Washington, DC. In 2010, E&Y named Mr. Paliwal ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ for New York region, and Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) honored him with ‘Indian American Achiever’ Award. In 2011, American India Foundation (AIF) honored him for ‘Corporate Leadership’. He was inducted in the International Honor Society Beta Gamma Sigma in 2012.
Mr. Paliwal earned a Masters degree in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Roorkee). He also earned a Masters degree in Applied Science and Engineering and went on to earn a Masters degree in Business Administration, both from Miami University, Ohio.