R.C. Bhargava is the chairman of Maruti Suzuki. He joined Maruti Udyog Limited, as it was known then, in 1981 after twenty-five years in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Managing director of Maruti from 1985, Bhargava was appointed chairman and managing director in 1990 and after retirement he was inducted as the non-executive chairman from December 2007. He is the author, with Seetha, of The Maruti Story: How A Public Sector Company Put India on Wheels (2010). In 2011, the Japanese emperor bestowed upon him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2016. He lives in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, with his wife.