Mr. Santhanam began his career at Grindwell Norton, a Saint-Gobain Group company, as a Management Trainee in May 1980, serving across functions such as IT, Operations, Product Development, Sales and Marketing.
In 1996, he collaborated with the Saint-Gobain Group (turnover exceeding €46 billion) to chart its Flat Glass investment strategy in India and, as the first Managing Director of Saint-Gobain Glass India, drove investments exceeding ₹8,000 crore in the sector.
Under his leadership, Saint-Gobain’s investments in India have grown to over ₹12,000 crore across Glass, Gypsum, Insulation, Construction Chemicals, Abrasives, and Ceramics, with a presence in 33 locations nationwide.
He served as the Chairman of Saint-Gobain India Pvt. Ltd. (Jan 2020 – May 2025), Managing Director of Grindwell Norton Ltd. (Apr 2020 – Mar 2025), and CEO of Saint-Gobain APAC and India Region, as well as a Member of the Global Executive Committee, France (Jul 2021 – Mar 2025). He retired from Saint-Gobain in May 2025 after 45 years of service.
Mr. Santhanam has been member of the CII National Council from 2006 till 2019 and served as Chairman of the CII Southern Region in 2013–14. He actively champions workforce diversity and played a key role in establishing CII’s Indian Women Network (IWN). He continues to contribute to shaping India’s policies in human resources, skill development, manufacturing, and digitalization.
Mr. Santhanam has been a Director at IIT Madras Research Park since December 2009. He served as a Member of the Syndicate, Anna University (2012–15), nominated by the Government of Tamil Nadu to represent industry. Since 2013, he has been a Member of the Board of Governors, IIIT Design & Manufacturing (IIIT D&M), nominated by the Government of India. He has been a Board Member of the Centre for Urbanization, Buildings and Environment (CUBE), Chennai since 2017.
Mr. Santhanam is an Independent Director on the Board of Titan Company Limited from May 2018 onwards. He is also an Independent Director on the Board of Kasturi & Sons Limited from October 2024. He is also an Independent Director and Chairman on the Board of Titan Engineering & Automation Ltd., from June 2025.
As President of the Employers’ Federation of India (EFI) during 2009–10, Mr. Santhanam actively engaged with the Government of India to advance labour reforms. EFI, the apex body representing employers and industries on matters of labour, human resource management, and industrial relations, played a key role in shaping progressive employment policies during his tenure. He also served as Chairman of the PanIIT 2008 Global Conference and is a Gold Member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).
Mr. Santhanam obtained his B.Tech in Civil Engineering (1978) from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and Post- Graduation in Management (1980) from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, with focus on Operations and General Management.
In recognition of his leadership and contributions to industry, Mr. Santhanam received several prestigious awards over the years. In April 2025, he was honoured with the “Personality of the Year Award 2025” by the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI). He received the “Exemplary Award” from Pragati Leadership in 2022 for inspiring and successful leadership. Earlier, he was conferred the “Champion of Humanity Award” by the Hindustan Chamber of Commerce in 2015 and the “V.C. Padmanaban Memorial Award” for Business Excellence leading to Development of Society at large by Manappuram Finance Limited in 2014. He was selected as “CEO of the Year”, a biannual award by National Human Resource Development Network (NHRDN) in 2008. He was also awarded “les Arches de la Croissance” (Arches of Growth), a global recognition from Saint-Gobain Group, for Innovation and Growth in 2005 and the “Distinguished Alumnus Award” from IIT Madras in 2004.
Other Directorships
