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Vellayan Subbiah To Exit Cholamandalam Investment Finance Under Murugappa Family Pact
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Vellayan Subbiah, a scion of the Murugappa family, has reached a settlement with other promoter branches to realign ownership
Cholamandalam Investment Finance
Vellayan Subbiah, a scion of the Murugappa family, has reached a settlement with other promoter branches to realign ownership across key group companies, according to a report by Moneycontrol.com, citing people familiar with the matter. The agreement is expected to see Subbiah give up stake exposure linked to Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company while consolidating his position in Tube Investments of India and CG Power and Industrial Solutions.
The arrangement, finalised after more than two years of negotiations, forms part of a broader plan by the Murugappa Group to separate ownership of the century-old conglomerate among three promoter factions while ensuring business continuity. Under the settlement, Subbiah is expected to relinquish exposure to Cholamandalam Investment — the group’s flagship lending arm — and instead retain and strengthen his alignment with Tube Investments and CG Power, including taking over or retaining stakes tied to those companies within the extended promoter structure, the report said. Emails sent to Subbiah and the Murugappa Group did not receive a response until publication.
The realignment follows prolonged internal discussions over the division of the diversified business empire, which reported revenue of more than $9 billion in FY23, after five generations of joint ownership through the family holding company Ambadi Investments.
Negotiations had earlier faced hurdles due to significant valuation divergences across group companies. As previously reported by The Economic Times on August 19, 2024, the turnaround of businesses overseen by Subbiah — particularly CG Power, Tube Investments and Cholamandalam Finance — had emerged as a sticking point in share-swap discussions among family factions.
The revival of CG Power proved especially pivotal. Since Tube Investments acquired control in 2020, CG Power has deleveraged, restored profitability and benefited from investor interest in domestic manufacturing, railways, power equipment and electronics supply chains. Its stock has surged since the takeover, making it one of the group’s most valuable listed assets. Tube Investments has also diversified beyond its legacy engineering base into green mobility, contract manufacturing and specialised industrial segments, strengthening its market position.
Cholamandalam Investment, meanwhile, has grown into one of India’s most valuable non-bank lenders, with a market capitalisation exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore. The uneven appreciation in these businesses complicated efforts to carve out three equal promoter blocs, with one faction seeking revisions to earlier share-swap assumptions and another resisting reopening agreed terms, people cited by Moneycontrol.com said.
Promoter ownership across Murugappa companies is largely routed through holding vehicles rather than direct individual shareholdings, but the concentration of value highlights why these firms were central to negotiations. The promoter group’s roughly 51–52 percent stake in Cholamandalam Investment is estimated to be worth about Rs 55,000–60,000 crore at current market levels. In Tube Investments, promoter ownership of around 45–46 percent translates into holdings valued at approximately Rs 20,000–22,000 crore. Through Tube Investments’ controlling position in CG Power, the promoter group effectively holds about 58–59 percent of that company, valued at roughly Rs 45,000–50,000 crore.
Beyond these, the family controls about 56–57 percent in Coromandel International, worth around Rs 18,000–20,000 crore; 42–43 percent in Carborundum Universal, valued near Rs 9,000–10,000 crore; and 44–45 percent in EID Parry, worth roughly Rs 3,500–4,000 crore. Tube Investments also indirectly controls about 70 percent of Shanti Gears, valued at approximately Rs 2,500–3,000 crore.
The final arrangement appears to align ownership more closely with operational leadership. Subbiah, a fourth-generation member of the family, is widely credited within the group for steering the revival of CG Power and expanding Tube Investments into new manufacturing and mobility segments, making these businesses natural anchors for his promoter bloc under the new structure.
The Murugappa Group, which comprises nearly 30 companies across fertilisers, engineering, financial services, abrasives, sugar and mobility solutions, operates under a long-standing governance charter that separates ownership from management, the Moneycontrol.com report noted.
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February 26, 2026, 10:51 IST
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India-US trade deal back in focus: Indian delegation to visit Washington next week for talks – The Times of India
India-US trade deal update: Months after India and the US announced an interim trade agreement that reduces tariffs on India to 18%, an official Indian delegation is set to travel to Washington next week for discussions with US authorities, a government source said on Wednesday.According to a PTI source, the visit is scheduled for next week. The agreement had originally been expected to be signed in March, but developments in the Donald Trump tariff regime following a ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States have changed the circumstances.
In this light, the talks between trade representatives of India and the United States are seen as particularly significant. Officials had earlier indicated that the deal would be concluded only after clarity emerges on the revised tariff structure in the United States.In February, the two countries had announced that they had finalised the framework for the first phase of their bilateral trade pact. As part of this understanding, the US had agreed to bring down tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent.However, the tariff environment in the US shifted after the court struck down sweeping reciprocal tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump. Subsequently, the US administration imposed a uniform 10 per cent tariff on imports from all countries for a period of 150 days starting February 24.Amid these changes, a planned meeting between the chief negotiators from both sides was deferred last month. The two countries had been scheduled to meet in February to finalise the legal text of the agreement.At the time the framework was agreed, India enjoyed a relative advantage over competing nations. That edge has since narrowed, as all US trading partners are now subject to the same 10 per cent tariff.The upcoming talks will also be crucial in the context of two ongoing investigations initiated by the Office of the United States Trade Representative under Section 301.On March 12, the USTR launched a probe covering around 60 economies, including India and China. The investigation aims to assess whether policies or practices related to the enforcement of bans on goods produced using forced labour are unreasonable or discriminatory, or whether they restrict US trade.A day earlier, on March 11, the USTR had initiated another Section 301 investigation focusing on the policies and industrial practices of 16 economies, including India and China.
Ads for supermarkets Lidl and Iceland have become the first to be banned under new rules governing “less healthy” food and drink.
The rules, which came into effect at the beginning of the year, are part of Government efforts to tackle childhood obesity by preventing ads for food and drink that is high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) appearing on television between 5.30am and 9pm, and online at any time.
The new ban applies to products that fall within 13 categories considered to play the most significant role in childhood obesity, including soft drinks, chocolates and sweets, pizzas and ice creams, but also breakfast cereals and porridges, sweetened bread products, and main meals and sandwiches.
Products that fall into these categories are than also assessed as to whether they are “less healthy” based on a scoring tool that considers their nutrient levels and whether products are high in saturated fat, salt or sugar.
Only products that meet both of the two criteria are included in the restrictions.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said an Instagram post for Lidl Northern Ireland by influencer Emma Kearney featured the grocer’s cheese pretzel, which was not categorised as HFSS and therefore did not fall within the restrictions, and its Pain Suisse product, which was classified as both HFSS and a sweetened bread product and was therefore banned under the new rules.
Lidl said the ad had been removed and they had liaised with their marketing agency to ensure that all future ads complied with the new rules.
In a separate case, Iceland confirmed that two ads included a tub of Swizzles Sweet Treats, a packet of Chupa Chups Laces, a bag of Chooee Disco Stix and a bag of Haribo Elf Surprises, which were all classified as HFSS.
They also provided nutrient profile information from their supplier which confirmed that Pringles Sour Cream & Onion crisps, also included in the ads, were not an HFSS product.
Iceland’s Luxury Aberdeen Angus Beef Roasting Joint, Vegetable Spring Rolls, Sticky Chicken Skewers and Lurpak Spreadable Butter, which were also included in the ads, did not fall within the new restrictions.
The ASA did not uphold a complaint against an Instagram post by influencer John Fisher – known to many as Big John – which featured him promoting menu items at a new German Doner Kebab outlet because the specific items shown in the ad were not classified as less healthy foods.
The watchdog also cleared a TV ad for On The Beach promoting free airport lounge access which featured a boy approaching a buffet and taking a chocolate ring doughnut.
The ASA said viewers would see the ad as showing an example of what was available in the lounge rather than for the doughnut itself, meaning it did not break the rules.
ASA chief executive Guy Parker said: “As the ad regulator, our role is to remain impartial and independent, making sure our new LHF rules, which reflect the law, are applied fairly and consistently.
“These initial rulings are an important step in building a clearer picture of how the rules are applied in reality.
“We’ll be continuing to play our role in administering and enforcing them, including by using tech-assisted proactive monitoring.”
An Iceland spokesman said: “The products highlighted were part of a bigger range in the specific display ad and were featured due to a technical fault with a data feed from a third-party supplier.
“As the ASA has pointed out, these initial rulings are helping to build a clearer picture of how the new rules are applied, following the initial confusion and debate around the regulations.”
At a meeting of the local authority’s executive on Tuesday, MacBeath said the scheme aimed to move beyond emergency aid by helping families become more financially “resilient”, offering advice on managing money, accessing benefits, reducing debt and finding work.
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India-US trade deal back in focus: Indian delegation to visit Washington next week for talks – The Times of India
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