Ajay Shirke is a British businessman and the chairman (among other things) of Cadence Audio SA which owns the businesses of Audio Lounge Ltd and also includes British-based Spendor Audio Systems, Siltech and Crystal Cable BV from the Netherlands. As of August 2016 Ajay Shirke purchased

SME Limited SME is a brand name of an English company that produces high end tonearms and turntables, whose name has become synonymous with the industry standard detachable headshell mount. History SME was founded by Alastair Robertson-Aikman in 1946 un ...

, a company that manufactures precision turntables and pick-up arms as well as precision engineering parts for Formula One and the aerospace industry. In April 2018, Mr Shirke finalised the acquisition of the iconic Garrard turntable brand and also Loricraft Audio who for many years were the sole authorised service department for existing Garrard turntables. A major part of the Loricraft Audio business is the manufacture of the Professional Record Cleaning (PRC) range of record cleaning machines. These acquisitions are seen by industry observers, to further his commitment to preserve and promote the heritage of traditional British Hi-Fi brands. He is the son of industrialist and

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

awardee, the late BG Shirke. In May 2016 he was elected Honorary Secretary of the

Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at the Cricket Centre in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. BCCI is the wealthiest governing body ...

. On 2 January 2017, the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India passed a judgement to remove Ajay Shirke from his role as the Secretary of the

with immediate effect. The ruling came about after

failed to implement the Lodha panel reforms.

Cricket Administration

His association with Maharashtra Cricket started in 2003 and he assumed the office of President

Maharashtra Cricket Association The Maharashtra Cricket Association ( Marathi: महाराष्ट्र क्रिकेट संघटणा) is the governing body of the cricket in the Maharashtra state of India. Its Maharashtra cricket team represent Maharashtra stat ...

in 2005. He is credited with spreading the reach of cricket all over

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. As the Honorary Treasurer of the

he brought transparency to the accounting of the board. In his last tenure as the honorary treasurer of the

, the board was hit with a match fixing scandal in the

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...

and he resigned citing lack of transparency and conflict of interest in the board.

External links

ESPNcricinfo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirke, Ajay Indian cricket administrators 1958 births Living people Indian industrialists Date of birth missing (living people) Businesspeople from Pune