M M Murugappan

M M Murugappan served as the Chairman of USD 6 Billion Murugappa Group, India until November 2020. He continues in a non-executive capacity as Chairman of Carborundum Universal Ltd (CUMI), a constituent company of the Murugappa Group. He also Chairs the Boards of Cholamandalam Mitsui Sumitomo General Insurance Company Ltd., and Murugappa Organo Water Solutions.

After a brief stint in the field of Environmental Engineering Design in the United States, Murugappan joined CUMI in 1979. In January 2004, Murugappan took over as Chairman of CUMI, playing a pivotal role in transforming CUMI into an international company. He broke new grounds in positioning CUMI as a technology and innovation-driven organization. His strategic approach towards business partnerships with global leaders has been one of the key factors contributing to CUMI’s consistent growth, internationally.

Murugappan is an independent director and Chairman of Cyient Ltd. (Hyderabad). He is also an independent director of Carson Cumberbatch, Srilanka. He retired from the Board of Mahindra & Mahindra in August 2020. He served on the Board of Governors of IIT Madras, for six years till November 2011 and has enabled many industry – academic partnerships. He now serves on the board of the IIT-Madras Research Park and is a mentor to many companies incubated there.

As Trustee of the Group’s AMM Foundation, he is actively involved in the development of various citizenship initiatives, particularly in education, health care, performing arts and sport.

Murugappan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the AC College of Technology, University of Madras, India and a Master of Science Degree also in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. He is a member of the American and Indian Institutes of Chemical Engineers and the Plastics & Rubber Institute. He was elected as a Fellow Member of the Indian Ceramic Society in 2006.