New Boss at SAIPA

SAIPA board of directors has appointed Qasem Jahroudi as new CEO. He replaces Mehdi Jamali. Jahroudi has been active in the domestic auto industry for almost three decades, and was CEO of Iran Khodro Aluminum Casting Company for five years, SAIPA News Agency reported.  The former SAIPA boss held the company’s tiller for over two years. Jamali has often been criticized by market observers, the public and environmentalists for incompetent and irresponsible approach towards the key industry and the environment. The company is infamous for production of low-quality vehicles that flaunt safety rules and are often slammed for fuel inefficacy and high emission rates by official bodies and NGOs. SAIPA is the second largest automaker in Iran with 41% share of the market. During the first seven months of the Iranian calendar year which started in March, 344,793 cars, pickup trucks, buses, and trucks were manufactured/assembled by the company indicating a 20% year-on-year increase.