Chennai : The oldest chambers of commerce and industry in the country, Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) will witness a leadership change on Thursday. Chennaite and IIT Madras alumni, Ganapathi Ramachandran, takes over as the President of the prestigious body.

Making the SICCI the strongest voice of the South Indian Inc and leverage its lobbying prowess for the benefit of its members – drawn from small, medium and large industries from different sectors. At this crucial juncture as MSME is staging a recovery of sorts amid a challenging economic environment due to external and internal factors, SICCI members are happy that Ganapathi Ganapathi, son of G. Ramachandran of the IAS, who served as Finance Secretary of his State Government and Government of India, brings to the office his vast experience as a technocrat, entrepreneur and wide network of senior civil servants, economists and professionals from different walks of life.

“Am happy to get an opportunity to strengthen SICCI, work for the interests of all the stake holders and work closely with the government,” Ganapathi told Covai Post.

In his over three decades of work-business life, 63-year-old Ganapathi was associated with public sector Bharat Bharat Heavy Electricals and was posted at Malaysia. On his return in 1984, he turned an entrepreneur, starting with a marketing and consultancy company. Over the years he was associated with power sector that gave him a ringside view of the economy of the country as a whole.

A fellow of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade too, Ganpa, to his friends and well-wishers, has business interests across America, Europe and South East Asia. At present he is the Chairman and Executive Director of Trigyn Technologies Limited, a company listed on the Mumbai and National Stock Exchanges.

The company which is a leading player in the remote Infrastructure Management has 18 offices across the world. The company has a subsidiary in USA of which Ganapathi is a Director. The company has a turnover of over US $ 100 Million with a professional staff of over 2,000.

Ganapathi is also a Director of M/s Orient Green Power Ltd., Chennai.

This company which is a Pioneer in the Non-Conventional Energy space is engaged in production of Power from Biomass. It is relevant to mention that the company is part of large conglomerate – the US $ 10 bn Shriram Group in Chennai.