Ashwin Suryakant Dani, the Co-founder of Asian Paints Ltd, passed away at the age of 79. He played a significant role in the growth of one of India’s largest paint companies, which operates in sixteen countries. As a second-generation scion of the family that co-founded the company, he had a long and influential tenure on the company’s board.
Dani’s journey with Asian Paints began in 1970. Over the years, he held various positions, including Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Non-Executive Vice Chairman, and Non-Executive Chairman. Notably, he served as Vice Chairman and Managing Director from 1998 to 2009, continuing on the board in subsequent years.
Dani was instrumental in driving technological advancements within the company and introducing many innovative products to the Indian market. He was a pioneer in implementing Computerized Colour matching in the Indian industry, a concept that has since become widely adopted in various sectors such as paints, plastics, printing inks, and textiles.
He played a key role in establishing a 50:50 Joint Venture between Asian Paints Limited and PPG Industries Inc., USA, focusing on industrial coatings. He was a founding director of the joint venture company, PPG Asian Paints Private Limited, which has been in operation for 26 years.
His contributions extended to the packaging of water-thinnable paints, where he championed the shift from metal containers to plastic containers for decorative purposes. He was also involved in founding and promoting Loctite India, which has evolved into Henkel Adhesive Technologies India.
As reported by INDIA TV, Ashwin Dani received several prestigious awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from CNBC-TV18, the Businessman of the Year award in 2015 from Business India magazine, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Paint Association, and the Cheminor Award from the Indian Institute of Materials Management for Excellence in Supply Chain in 2002.
