If you go to the alumni page of the University of Michigan's Michigan Engineering department, one Indian name that stands out remarkably is that of Harish K. Sheth, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, Setco Automotive Ltd. It was at that University where he built the foundation of his engineering knowledge and career. In fact, he even participated in the campaigning of an American Presidential election (1968) and became the Vice President of the Student Association. These were his first stints with leadership.

In 1982, a few years after his return to India, Sheth established a small manufacturing company producing a single product in a small village of Gujarat. Of course, he had learnt his lessons well (Besides his BS (Mechanical) from the University of Michigan, Sheth also holds a MBA in finance from Columbia University.) That coupled with an entrepreneurial zeal enabled him to build his company into a multi-product, multi-location manufacturing giant through a relentless focus on efficiency and quality. "Today, Setco Automotive is the largest manufacturer of clutches for Medium and Heavy commercial vehicles in India," he says with pride.

As its CMD, Sheth has been instrumental in moulding the vision and the mission of the organisation. Sheth today guides a robust team of highly qualified and experienced professionals from the industry, proving his ability as a good leader. With a vision to craft Setco into the premier clutch manufacturer globally, he plans to expand capacities and introduce new value added product lines. Setco Automotive today employs more than 950 people worldwide with two manufacturing facilities in India, one in UK and one in US. Sheth has built this company over the last 30 years where he led and successfully completed two acquisitions from global automotive majors thus strategically extending Setco's global footprint. "The acquisitions have opened the doors to Global markets with new products which will considerably help in its future growth," he shares.