Arunachalam Vellayan, former Murugappa Group chairman, passes away at 72 after prolonged illness

Arunachalam Vellayan, former Chairman of the Murugappa Group and Chairman Emeritus of Coromandel International, passed away on 17 November (Monday), after prolonged illness, according to a PTI report.

The Murugappa Group in a statement said that he is survived by wife Lalitha Vellayan, sons Arun Vellayan and Narayanan Vellayan, and grandchildren, it added.

‘A man with high business acumen, ability to see future’

According to a Mint report, Vellayan is praised for his “high level of business acumen and ability to see the future”, as evidenced by the various strategic decisions he made for the Murugappa Group with his leadership. One such bold call was turning India's largest fertiliser companies Coromandel International to the retail route in 2008.

Today, the company's ‘My Growmor’ brand stores (recently opened its 1,000th door) reaches over 30 lakh farmers directly. The report noted that retails is now at the “heart” of Coromandel's business and differentiates it in the industry.

Who is Arunachalam Vellayan? Visionary leader of Murugappa Group

Vellayan is known for his strategic direction in Murugappa, as the company diversified across businesses and expanded into one of India's highly respected conglomerates, the report added.

Through his career, he served on the Boards of various companies in the Murugappa Group, including as Chairman of Coromandel International and EID Parry. He also served on the boards of other companies, such as Kanoria Chemicals & Industries, EXIM Bank and Indian Overseas Bank, the Group statement added.

Vellayan also led various industry and trade organisations, including Southern India Chamber of Commerce, Fertiliser Association of India, Indian Sugar Mills Association, and All India Cycle Manufacturers Association.

He was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-Kozhikode).

An alumnus of The Doon School, Shriram College of Commerce, Aston University, UK, and University of Warwick Business School, UK, Vellayan was also honoured with Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Aston University, UK.

(With inputs from PTI)