Arunachalam Vellayan (1953-2025): A tall leader known for his visionary bets

Friends and peers termed Arunachalam Vellayan (72), former chairman of the Murugappa group, who passed away in Chennai on Monday, as a man with a high level of business acumen and the ability to see the future.

Many achievements in his stellar career demonstrate this talent. Let’s give an example.

In 2008, Vellayan, who became chairman of Coromandel International, one of India’s largest fertilizer companies, took the bold decision to go into retail.

Like no one else before, he opened company-owned stores under the name ‘My Growmor’, despite warnings from many that this was a recipe for disaster.

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However, Vellayan believed that connecting directly with farmers was necessary to build trust in the long run. He also predicted that this would help the company understand the needs of farmers and design better products for them.

Lately, Coromandel International has opened its 1,000th Growmor store, serving more than 3 million farmers, many of whom rely on the company’s products.

This retail network also helped the company launch services such as drone fertilizer and pesticide spraying, soil testing and consulting services.

Today, retail is at the heart of Coromandel’s business and demonstrates its clear distinction in the industry.

Tributes poured in from all quarters, acknowledging the departure of an exemplary business leader.

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“He was an outstanding leader with a firm grasp of both the macro and micro aspects of the business. He had a good understanding of the real reality and made bold moves,” said R. Seshasayee, chairman of Asian Paints.

Venu Srinivasan, chairman emeritus of TVS Motor Company and vice-chairman of Tata Trusts, described Vellayan as a tall leader of his generation. “I have known Vellayan for over sixty years. He was a great institution builder,” he said. “I personally would miss him a lot.”

As president, Vellayan expanded the Murugappa group through organic and inorganic means.

Their income increased ₹15,907 crore in FY 2009 ₹30,023 crore in FY 2017. This effort was noticed by the markets, which saw the group’s market value increase by more than 10,000. ₹More than 11,600 crore ₹70,000 crore by the end of January 2018.

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An outstanding leader and valuable member The Murugappa family Vellayan has dedicated several decades to the Group, providing strategic direction across its various business lines. His vision, integrity and long-term approach towards value creation have helped the Group strengthen and expand, the Murugappa group’s press release said.

He was a graduate of Doon School, Shriram College of Commerce and Warwick University Business School. He is survived by his wife, two sons, Arun Vellayan and Narayanan Vellayan, and grandchildren.