KS Narayanan, chairman emeritus of Sanmar Group, passed away on Friday after a brief illness. He was 93. A leading industrialist and a pioneer in the cement and PVC industries in India, Mr Narayanan was also famous for his patronage of sports, cricket in particular, and philanthropic initiatives.
He had over five decades of entrepreneurial management experience in diverse areas of industry, including cement, plastics, sugar, drugs and pharmaceuticals besides shipping, ceramic insulators, rubber and calcium carbide. He was for many years promoter and MD of India Cements Ltd., the largest manufacturer of cement in South India. He was also promoter director of Chemplast Sanmar Limited, Sanmar Shipping Limited, WS Industries Ltd., Tamil Nadu Dadha Pharmaceuticals.
Mr Narayanan was involved in the management of several educational and charitable organizations. Mr Narayanan is survived by his sons, N Sankar and N Kumar, his sister and brothers, grandchildren and great grandchildren.