Mr. A. Sivasailam awarded the “Padma Shri “ Mr. A. Sivasialam, Chairman and Managing Director of the Amalgamations Group of Chennai has been awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India this year. For a person heading one of India’s largest light engineering group of 48 diverse companies and a 12000 workforce and an annual turnover of over $1 Billion, Mr. Sivasailam is surprisingly soft spoken and unpretentious. Perfectly at home in a well tailored suit or a simple Dhoti and shirt ensemble, he is a unique combination of seasoned business leader, opinion maker, educator, philanthropist and family man. Born on August 24th,1934, he is the elder son of Late Shri. S. Anantharamakrishnan, an illustrious visionary and pioneering industrialist of his times. After graduating in Commerce from the Loyola College at Chennai, he went on to train in Management Accounting and Advanced Accountancy for four years at a leading firm of Chartered Accountants in London. He is an elected Fellow of The Institute of Directors, London, a Companion of the Institute of Management, London, and a Companion of the Institute of sales and Marketing Management of London. On his return from the UK, he joined the group in 1957 as Comptroller and Treasurer of Addison & Co., a noit of the group. In January 1961, he was appointed General Manager of Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE), which had just then been formed in collaboration with Massey Ferguson (now AGCO) and is now Chairman and Managing Director of this company which is one of the top ten tractor manufacturers in the world. He took over as Chairman of the Amalgamations Group in August 1968. His leadership of the Amalgamations Group is based on the business philosophy of the highest standards of Business Ethics, Integrity and Social Responsibility - something that his father had practiced assiduously during his time at the helm of affairs of the group. Even today, the group continues to subscribe ti this philosophy and continues to set benchmarks for responsible corporate citizenship and governance. Under his leadership, the group is playing an ever increasingly important role in the overall development of the country. The group’s diverse interests include Air-cooled and Water Cooled Diesel engines for automotive, marine and industrial use, tractors and farm equipment, Automotive components such as pistons, liners, ring gears, bimetal bearings, clutch assemblies and clutch parts, Stampings and forgings, Engineering Tools, Diamond tools and lead acid and dry-charge batteries. Apart from these, the group also grows tea and coffee, prints, publishes and sells books, builds coaches and trailers and retreads tyres. The group manufactures and markets pest and weed control formulations, Engineering plastics, panel instruments, hydraulic pumps, gears and transmission components .It also has a significant presence in distribution of passenger vehicles of leading Indian and MNC brands, automotive components and seeds. Chennai’s erstwhile evening newspaper, “ The Mail” was a part of this group. The group’s manufacturing units are spread across the length and breadth of the country and even has overseas presence through its presence in the UK, Europe and the US through member companies. Its associates and collaborators are world leaders in their respective fields and are from all over. AGCO from the USA, The Perkins Group of UK (now with Caterpillar),Federal Moghul, Stanadyne, Van Moppes, United Engineering and Forgings, Valeo, SAFT, Daido Metals, Nippon Piston Rings and BB Batteries of China. The group’s products have earned a reputation in both domestic and international markets for reliability, ruggedness of design and uncompromising quality. As a business leader he has been associated with a number of trade and industry bodies in various capacities. He is past president of AIAM,ASSOCHAM and has served in various committees and Advisory boards and councils on Trade, Export and Industrial Development set up by the Governments of Tamil Nadu and India.