Management - CUMI

Board Of Directors

Mr. M M Murugappan

Chairman

He holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, USA. He has held the position of Managing Director of CUMI in the past. Besides serving as the Chairman of CUMI, Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited, Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Limited and Murugappa Water Technology and Solutions Private Limited, he is on the Boards of several companies including IIT Madras Research Park, Cyient Limited and Ambadi Investments Limited. Mr. Murugappan was elected as a fellow of the Indian Ceramic Society and is also a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, Plastics & Rubber Institute. He is a trustee of the Murugappa Group’s CSR arm – AMM Foundation. Mr. Murugappan has played a pivotal role in transforming CUMI into an international company. His strategic approach towards business partnerships with global leaders has been one of the key factors contributing to CUMI’s consistent growth, internationally.

Mr. Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu

Non-Executive Independent Director

He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Philadelphia University, USA. Currently, he is serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of Lakshmi Machine Works Limited and as the Chairman of Super Sales India Limited. He is also on the Boards of several companies viz., The Lakshmi Mills Company Limited, Lakshmi Electrical Control Systems Limited, Lakshmi Cargo Company Limited, Lakshmi Technology and Engineering Industries Limited etc.

Mr Aroon Raman

Non-Executive Independent Director

He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and a MBA from Wharton School, USA. He was the Managing Director of Raman Boards and Raman Fibre Science Private Limited. He was also on the Board of Sundaram Finance Limited. Besides this, he has served as the Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry, Karnataka and is currently on the Boards of various companies including Lakshmi Machine Works Limited, Telos Investments & Technologies Private Limited, Wheels India Limited, Brigade Enterprises Limited, TVS Automobile Solutions Private Limited, Trichur Sundaram Santhanam & family Private Limited and EduTech NTTF Private Limited.

Mrs. Soundara Kumar

Non-Executive Independent Director

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Science (Mathematics) from the University of Madras and is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (CAIIB). She joined State Bank of India as a Direct Recruit Officer and served for more than 39 years both in India and overseas including as the Managing Director of State Bank of Indore from 2008 to 2010. She retired as Deputy Managing Director, Stressed Asset Management Group of State Bank of India. She is currently on the Boards of Ramco Systems Limited, Sundaram Trustee Company Limited, Tamil Nadu Newsprint & Papers Limited, Rajapalayam Mills Limited, Shanti Gears Limited and Bank of Baroda.

Mr. P S Raghavan

Non-Executive Independent Director

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from St. Stephen’s college, Delhi as well as in Electronics & Communications Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1979 and has held various diplomatic assignments in Moscow, Warsaw (Poland), London (UK), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Pretoria (South Africa). He has also held several esteemed positions such as the Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office dealing with Foreign Affairs, Nuclear Energy, Space, Defence and National Security; Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and as the Indian Ambassador to countries like Russia, Ireland and Czech Republic etc. He is the Convenor of the National Security Advisory Board of India of the National Security Council Secretariat of the Government of India. He is now a Distinguished Fellow of the Vivekananda International Foundation.

Mr. Sujjain S Talwar

Non-Executive Independent Director

He is a qualified solicitor in India and England & Wales. He has over 25 years of experience as a corporate and infrastructure solicitor in India and abroad. He is the founding partner of Economics Law Practice, a law firm that has consistently been ranked as a top 10 law firm, with over 150 lawyers and offices in 6 cities. Mr. Talwar has in the past worked with reputed law firms such as Crawford Bayley, Pinsent Masons etc. He has been named as a leading individual for his ‘depth of knowledge’ ‘innovative approach’ and ‘timely deliverables’ by the Legal 500.

Mr. Sridharan Rangarajan

Director – Finance & Strategy

He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, a graduate member of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India and holds Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Madurai University. He has about 30 years of overall experience in various fields like banking, manufacturing, contracting, service and distribution businesses. He is associated with the Murugappa Group since June 2011 as the Chief Financial Officer of CUMI till January 2018 after which he took over as the President and Group CFO of the Murugappa Group. He is currently on the Boards of Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Limited, Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited, Cholamandalam MS Risk Services Limited, E.I.D Parry (India) Limited, Parry Agro Industries Limited, PLUSS Advanced Technologies Private Limited and Net Access India Limited. He has also served on the Board of Timken India Limited.

Mr. N Ananthaseshan

Managing Director

He is an IITian in M. Tech Material Science from Kharagpur and also holds a Master’s degree in Applied Science. Mr. N Ananthaseshan joined CUMI as a graduate trainee in 1986 and has been with the Company since his career beginning. He was heading the Abrasives division of the Company since 2014 prior to which he was heading the Electrominerals division of the Company. Mr. Ananthaseshan possesses vast experience across business verticals of the Company. Mr. Ananthaseshan serves as a Director on the Boards of Wendt (India) Limited, Sterling Abrasives Limited, Volzhsky Abrasive Works and various other subsidiaries of the Company, in addition to serving as the Chairman of Murugappa Morgan Thermal Ceramics Limited.

Management Committee

N Ananthaseshan

Managing Director

Ninad Gadgil

Business Head – Abrasives

A Graduate in Electronics, Mr. Ninad with over 25 years of experience in Strategy, Sales & Marketing, Business Leadership across diverse sectors such as Packaging, Graphic Arts & Signage, Architecture and Building materials, Automotive OEM, Aftermarkets and Health care.

MV Sivakumaran

Business Head – Electrominerals

Mr. MV Sivakumaran is an MTech in Ceramic Technology from Anna University and a Masters in Material Science. He started his career with CUMI in 1996 and has helped grow the Ceramics business globally, co-creating solutions with customers. He has also championed brownfield expansions in the Abrasives business.

Prathap Kumar

Business Head – Industrial Ceramics

A Mechanical Engineer from National Institute of Technology (NIT), Surathkal, Prathap started his career as Graduate Engineer Trainee (GET) in 2000. He has also completed the Fulbright Fellowship in Leadership & Management from the Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, USA. He has been instrumental in developing & growing the technology intensive businesses of CUMI like Specialty Fine Powders, Metallized Ceramics and Engineered Ceramics to a Global scale.

Raghavendra Pai

Business Head – Super Refractories

Raghavendra Pai is an M Tech in Chemical Engineering from NIT Suratkal. He started his career in 1996 as an Application Engineer in the Super Refractories Division at CUMI. In 2001, Pai joined Schunk Carbon Technology India Private Limited, a subsidiary of Schunk Germany. In 2005, he returned to CUMI and became responsible for the Sales and Marketing of Industrial Ceramics and Super Refractories. In this role, he has been instrumental in establishing wear, engineered and metallised ceramics in the global markets. Pai was also a research associate (1994-96) with the TATA Energy Institute carrying out Industrial Energy audits in process industries. He has also trained for a year in the Composites laboratory of the National Aeronautical Laboratory.

Bhaskharan Kannun

Head – Human Resource

Mr. Bhaskharan Kannun holds a Bachelor’s degree in Botany from St. Joseph’s College, Trichy and a Master’s degree in Personnel Management from Bishop Heber College. Mr. Bhaskharan has had a wide experience in HR across Manufacturing and Services sector organisations such as Sterling Holidays, Perfetti Van Melle, Ramco Systems and Rajshree Sugars. In his earlier stint, he was in-charge of IR, Admin and CSR activities for Tube Investments of India Limited.

P Padmanabhan

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. P Padmanabhan is a Chartered Accountant and a Cost Accountant and a Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Management. He has more than three decades of experience in the finance and accounts function. He has been associated with the Company since 1994.

Rekha Surendhiran

Company Secretary

Ms. Rekha Surendhiran holds a Master’s degree in Commerce and is an Associate member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. She also holds a Master’s degree in Business Laws from National Law School, Bengaluru and a Post graduate diploma in financial management. She has over 20 years of rich experience in legal, corporate secretarial, compliance and general management.