A champion always remains a champion and so is the case with M.M. Murugappan, Chairman, Carborundum Universal, who from his schooldays, used to be a champion sprinter. His classmates still remember the way he always shot out from the starting line to finish first. Now 48 years old, Murugappan has till date retained much of his former characteristics. As the head of the leading abrasive manufacturer in the country, he has proven that he still has a nose for constant success.

A pass out from Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty, Murugappan did his Bachelors in Chemical Engineering and went to do his Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, USA. Later, he joined the Board of Directors of the Murugappan Group in March 2002.

When the directorship of the group underwent a reshuffle, it was he who took over as the Chairman of the Carborundum Universal Limited, also known as CUMI. In addition, he is also on the boards of other companies including Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd Wendt India Ltd.

Although still in its nascent stage, Carborundum Universal under Murugappan has made rapid progress and today, it's a big player that caters to almost 70 per cent of the total requirements. The Carborundum Universal deals in three segments viz. abrasives, bonded and coated; ceramics, industrial and super refractories and electrominerals, raw materials for the abrasives. Worth at Rs. 650 crore, the company under Murugappan has achieved an annual turnover of Rs. 314 crore.

Headquartered in Chennai, the Group today is India's leading business conglomerate with manufacturing units in 12 states. An epitome of professionalism and a cohesive workforce, the group has 29 registered companies, which are market leaders in diverse areas including engineering, abrasives, finance, general insurance, sanitary ware, cycles, sugar, farm inputs, fertilizers, plantations, bio products and nutraceuticals.

A man who is always on the move, Murugappan these days is making plans for investments in technology and has his eyes fixed on the prospect of global expansion. This will not be a distant dream as his business is poised at a very strong launching pad. At the time of the reshuffling it became very clear that Murugappan needed a free hand as by that time, his managerial abilities had already come to the fore. So, he was made the chairman of Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Co. (Cifco).

In fact, Murugappan has also been instrumental in cementing the position of the company in foreign markets including Australia and America. And all the while, this ex-sprinter has kept his running shoes on, for he had only changed his tracks. Now, with the new mission under his sleeves, Murugappan is all set for great achievements.