Leadership

DR. JAIRAM VARADARAJ

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Dr. Jairam Varadaraj serves as the Managing Director of Elgi Equipments Ltd. and Board Member of Elgi Ultra Industries Ltd., Elgi Rubber Co., Magna Electro Castings, Precot Meridian Ltd. and Thermax Ltd. Dr. Varadaraj is a third-generation entrepreneur from the illustrious business family of LRG Naidu. For nearly 30 years, Dr. Varadaraj has led and guided the organisation’s business interests in textiles, polymers, mechanical machines and consumer appliances. Prior to which, for around four years, he was engaged in teaching and research in the United States.

Dr. Varadaraj is ex Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Committee of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and past member of the Southern Region Council of CII. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University, USA, and a PhD in international business from the University of Michigan, USA. He owns the distinction of holding four patents in the fields of compressors, drive belts, consumer appliances and food manufacturing.

RAMESH PONNUSWAMI

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Ramesh Ponnuswami is responsible for ELGi’s business in SEA and Oceania. He is also the Director of ATS ELGI Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of ELGi. He joined ELGi in November 2011.

Prior to joining ATS ELGI, he was with the EID Parry (India) Limited, a Murugappa Group company, as Vice President – Operations. He was with Parry for ten years, handling several roles involving sugar, power and distillery plant operations, sales and marketing. He also led the project team that engineered, built and commissioned Asia’s largest port based sugar refinery. Before joining Parry, Ramesh Ponnuswami worked for five-and-a-half years at Sugar Research Limited in Australia as business development manager, responsible for selling technology and services to sugar companies worldwide.

Ramesh Ponnuswami holds a mechanical engineering degree from India and an MBA from RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. He was part of the Murugappa Group Business Leadership Program.

CHRIS RINGLSTETTER

PRESIDENT - EUROPE

Chris Ringlstetter is responsible for all of ELGi’s European operations, including Rotair. He has 25 years of business leadership experience with Ingersoll Rand and Doosan. His career has spanned application engineering, marketing, service and sales management, product management. He was the president of Ingersoll Rand’s air treatment division – a $200 million global business with full P&L responsibilities, including three manufacturing facilities. He has worked in multiple countries including the US, Germany, Italy, England and Belgium. He speaks English, German and Italian fluently.

Prior to joining ELGi, Chris Ringlstetter was the European president of the Luminator Technology Group, which makes passenger information systems for the mass transit and aerospace industries. In this role, held full P&L responsibilities over Europe, ME, Africa and Asia and led two manufacturing facilities.

Ringlstetter has an MBA from Duke University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University.

DR. VENU MADHAV

DIRECTOR, TECHNOLOGY

Dr. K. Venu Madhav is responsible for new product development, technology development and innovation with a view to meeting global market requirements. He has close to 24 years of industrial experience and has been with ELGi since 1998, barring a short stint in a research organisation after his master’s degree. Dr. Venu has played a pivotal role in designing air ends and has been singularly responsible for bringing the “know why” of rotor design to the company. Venu Madhav holds a doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering with specialisation in compressors from City University, London. He has several technical publications and 2 patents in compressor technology to his credit. Apart from this, he enjoys playing badminton with his children and reading during his leisure time.

DR PREMENDRA

CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER

Dr Premendra is responsible for Corporate Strategy at ELGi and its subsidiaries, including ATS ELGI, and also leads Product Management Organization and Digital functions at ELGi. He joined ELGi in March 2023. Before joining ELGi, he worked with JK Paper Ltd. as Vice President - Strategy. Prior to that, he has worked with Roland Berger and Toyota Motor Europe.

Premendra has a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science & Metallurgical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur) and doctoral degree in Materials Science, with specialization in corrosion and electrochemistry, from Delft University of Technology (Netherlands). He has completed one-year full-time MBA (PGPX) from Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad). He has authored several research publications and a patent.