Governing Council
KIA is governed by a governing council members and sets the strategic directions of the Institution and supports its growth and advancement. The GC members have rich and wide experience in the governance of academic Institutions and Industry.
| S. No. | Name | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Trust Nominees | ||
| 1. | Dr. B. K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, Chairman, Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore | Chairman |
| 2. | Mr. M. Balasubramaniam, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Sakthi Finance Ltd. Coimbatore | Member |
| 3. | Mr. Shankar Vanavarayar, Joint Correspondent, Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore | Member |
| 4. | G. Muniasamy, Executive Director, Kumaraguru Institutions. | Member |
| 5. | Dr. Vijila Kennedy, Principal, KCLAS, Coimbatore | Member |
| TNAU Nominee | ||
| 6. | Dr. K. Venkatesan (Dean Horticulture), HCRI, TNAU, Coimbatore. | Member |
| External Experts | ||
| 7. | Dr.S.Babu, Dean (Agriculture), VIT, Vellore | Member |
| 8. | Dr. Rahul Mirchandani, Chairman and Managing Director, Aries Agro limited, Mumbai | Member |
| 9. | Dr. Shankar Venugopal, Vice President, Mahindra and Mahindra, Technology innovation and knowledge management, Chennai | Member |
| 10. | Mr. Srikanth Suryanarayan, Managing Director, Ishka Farms, Tuticorin | Member |
| 11. | Dr.E. Vadivel, Strategic Advisor (FPOs), Tamil Nadu Consortium of Farmer Producer Company Ltd. | Member |
| Ex Officio | ||
| 12. | Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Principal, Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture, Erode | Member(Ex-officio) |
Dr. B. K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, Chairman, Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore
Dr. B.K.Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, born in an aristocratic family from Pollachi qualified himself as a Barrister and later entered business. The high ideals of Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi had a profound impact on him. B.K.Krishnaraj Vanavarayar has served in the Management Committees of many leading schools and colleges and worked for making values an integral part of the curriculum.
Mr. M. Balasubramaniam, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Sakthi Finance Ltd. Coimbatore
Mr. M. Balasubramaniam, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Company, holds Masters Degree in Commerce from Madras University and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Notre Dame University, USA. He was the Chairman of Coimbatore Zone of Confederation of Indian Industry as also a member of the Management Committee of Coimbatore Management Association. He is presently a senate member in Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore. Holding Directorship in most of the Sakthi Group of Companies he is also serving as the Correspondent of the Kumaraguru College of Technology and Secretary of Nachimuthu Gounder Mahalingam College.
Mr. Shankar Vanavarayar, Joint Correspondent, Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore
Mr. Shankar Vanavarayar is an accomplished business and organisation leader, a spirited patron of arts, history and heritage, a successful entrepreneur and an inspired educationist. In a highly dynamic and diversified professional career spread over 15 years, he has held leadership positions in businesses, educational institutions, social development organizations and programs within The Sakthi Group, and in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). He has a proven track record in building teams, strategic planning, managing programs and operations in multiple domains spanning business (textiles, automotive, financial services, agri-foods, retail), education (arts, science & technology), culture and heritage, community and social development, international youth affairs, cross national institutions and alliances etc.
G. Muniasamy, Executive Director, Kumaraguru Institutions
G Muniasamy is an Engineer and Management Professional with rich experience in Banking, Financial Services, IT and Academic Institutions. He is currently the Executive Director, Kumaraguru Institutions. He is part of the strategic team in Admission Management, Financial Planning, New initiatives etc. He had played a significant role in the development of Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture during its initial years. He also plays strategic roles in group institutions like Sakthi Polytechnic College, NGM College, Suddha Sanmarga Nilayam Institutions @ Vadalur.
Dr. Vijila Kennedy, Principal, KCLAS, Coimbatore
Dr. Vijila Edwin-Kennedy is a distinguished academician and an able administrator, who currently holds the position of the Principal of Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts & Science. Being the Founding Principal, she brings a blend of scholarship, professionalism, administrative competence and Integrity. She has a proven track record of being a visionary and an excellent administrator which has made her to excel in Institution building.
Dr. K. Venkatesan
Dr. K. Venkatesan serves as the Dean (Horticulture) in charge at HC&RI, TNAU, Coimbatore, bringing decades of expertise in academic and administrative leadership. A prolific researcher, he has developed six crop varieties and holds an innovative AI patent for capsicum harvesting. Throughout his career, he has secured over ₹198 lakhs in funding and established critical infrastructure like the New Turmeric Research Centre at Bhavanisagar. As a dedicated educator and extension worker, he has mentored over 50 PG students and trained more than 3,000 farmers in modern technologies. His multifaceted contributions continue to drive excellence in horticultural research, education, and rural development.
Dr. S. Babu
Dr. S. Babu, Dean Agriculture, and Director School of Agricultural Innovations And Advanced Learning (VAIAL), at Vellore Institute of Technology. He is currently leading the Agriculture team in Vellore Institute of Technology with USP of precision farming and smart agriculture. Teaching genomics, proteomics, plant biotechnology, plant pathology and farming systems courses at VIT. He has handled many research projects and published more than 75 research papers.
Dr. Rahul Mirchandani
Dr. Rahul Mirchandani has 23 years of experience as Director of Aries Agro Limited Ranked amongst the 30 Most Innovative CEOs in India in 2014, he has pioneered several unique marketing processes and brand management tactics at Aries. He holds a Doctorate in Management Studies from NMIMS University, Mumbai and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and holds an MBA from the University of Canberra, Australia. A Past National Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Young Indians (CII-Yi), he is the architect of Yi’s Farmers Net program and has served on the CII Agriculture, Innovation, International Policy and India@75 National Councils.
Dr. Shankar Venugopal
Dr. Shankar Venugopal , Vice President, Mahindra & Mahindra leads technology innovation for the Automotive & Farm services business (AFS). He heads the intellectual property (Patents) and knowledge management functions. He is also the Dean of the Mahindra Technical Academy. Shankar is passionate about developing sustainable urban mobility solutions and his current interests span across electric vehicles, connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles and precision farming. He holds ten international patents and numerous new product innovation awards. He has developed a proprietary innovation methodology – Innovation FLOW – and trained 1000 + inventors and innovators. Shankar obtained a Ph.D in Materials Science and a gold medal for the best doctoral thesis from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Shankar completed his executive management program from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. He teaches technology innovation management at premier engineering & management institutes in India & abroad.
Mr. Srikant Suryanarayan
On completing his Bachelor in Commerce from St. Alberts College Kochi, Kerala in 1993, Srikant proceeded to the University of Canberra for his Masters in Business Administration, specializing in International Business. In 2004, he joined the prestigious Wharton Fellows Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and in 2016 the Aspen Institute, Italy. As Managing Director of the Tradelinks Group and a second-generation entrepreneur, his primary responsibility is to drive growth and explore new business opportunities. He has chalked out the group’s expansion strategy and vision: “film to farm to food to fork” this past decade. His entrepreneurship experiences, youth social engineering with Young Indian (Yi), and deep faith in the Indian growth story are passionate and unique strengths he brings to the company.
Dr. E. Vadivel
Dr. E. Vadivel, Former Dean (Horticulture) & Former Director (Extension Education), TNAU, Coimbatore. Currently, he is serving as a strategic Advisor of FPO’s incorporated 55 Farmers Producer companies with 1000 farmers in each. He was the state level consultant for collective farming project during 2017 – 20. He is the chairman and Managing trustee Agri systems Foundation. He served in various capacities and he is serving as an expert committee member for many organization and Institutes.
Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Principal
Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore is a retired Professor in Agricultural Extension from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, India. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Extension from TNAU. His illustrious career spans over three decades, marked by distinguished service, academic excellence, and contributions to the field of agricultural extension.
