HARMAN CEO Dinesh Paliwal Receives Prestigious Corporate Leadership Award From American India Foundation

Dinesh Paliwal, President, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of HARMAN (NYSE: HAR) was honored with the American India Foundation (AIF) Corporate Leadership Award at AIF’s 10^th annual gala on Saturday, December 10. In its theme of "Celebrating a Decade of Impact,” the gala recognizes the outstanding leadership of individuals committed to creating long-term change and impact in India from both the subcontinent itself and the United States.

Dinesh Paliwal, Chairman, President, and CEO of HARMAN (Photo: Business Wire)

Mr. Paliwal has been driving entrepreneurship and leading-edge innovation for the leading global provider of premium audio and infotainment solution for the past five years over a career spanning nearly three decades. In 2010, Mr. Paliwal was named Metro New York Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, and also received the Indian American Achiever Award from the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). He has served on numerous boards and councils, including the US India Business Council.

"I’m deeply honored to be recognized by the AIF. Their work to aid disadvantaged and impoverished communities is truly an inspiration, and I applaud the AIF’s commitment toward catalyzing social and economic change in India,” Paliwal said. "Being born and raised in Agra and having spent all of my professional life working and living all over the world, I see the opportunity to continue to build the bridge between our nations and the benefits that we can create for the most impoverished. I look forward to continuing to work with the AIF for the years to come."

Mr. Paliwal was joined by four internationally acclaimed artists at the star-studded event – two-time Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman who received the AIF Spirit of India Award; legendary composer and producer Quincy Jones, who served as Honorary Gala Chair; popular singer/songwriter Michael Bolton, and Bollywood superstar Sunidhi Chauhan. A. R. Rahman is an ambassador for JBL’s Hear the truth campaign, while Quincy Jones collaborated with Harman to create the highly regarded AKG Quincy Jones Signature Line Headphones.

About AIF

Since its founding in 2001, AIF has raised and deployed more than $70 million to support its programs that have impacted the lives of 1.5 million of India’s most impoverished and marginalized individuals in the areas of education, livelihoods and public health. President Bill Clinton serves as Honorary Chair and Nobel Laureate Professor Dr. Amartya Sen chairs the Advisory Council. AIF provides a nationwide platform for collective philanthropy with chapters in New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, New England, Chicago, and Washington DC in addition to Southern California.

About HARMAN

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 20 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 12,500 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $4.0 billion for the 12 months ended September 30, 2011. The company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE: HAR.

© 2011 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson are trademarks of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. AKG is a trademark of AKG Acoustics GmbH, registered in the United States and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. GRAMMY Award is a registered trademark of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50102781&lang=en