Well known industrialist Karumuttu T Kannan (70), chairman of Tamil Nadu-based Thiagarajar Mills and an independent member of TVS Motor’s board of directors, passed away on Tuesday in Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
Kannan, the son of the late industrialist and philanthropist Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar, who founded the Thiagarajar Mills in 1936, was also a leading educationalist and the president of Thiagarajar College, Madurai.
He is survived by his wife Uma Kannan, daughters Visalakshi and Radha, and son Hari Thiagarajan, who is the executive director of Thiagarajar Mills.
Venu Srinivasan, chairman emeritus, TVS Motor Company, said: “I’m deeply saddened by this loss. To me he was more than a trusted colleague. He was a dear and loyal friend, who was a deep thinker and always there with his wise counsel. He helped steer us through difficult times to now becoming an international player. Kannan had a rare prescience and sharp business acumen, but above all he was a man with tremendous social conscience who gave so much to society.”
A textile industry veteran, Kannan was a graduate in business administration from Madurai University and had a wide range of experience in the textile industry. He held the position of chairman of the textiles committee, Mumbai, the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council, Mumbai, and chairman of the South India Mills’ Association during 1990-92. He was also the chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Southern Region, Chennai, and a member of the southern regional board of the Industrial Development Bank of India.