CK Ranganathan

Mr. CK Ranganathan the Founder Chairman of CavinKare, was born in the small coastal town of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, to parents with a primary interest in education. After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a brief stint in the family business, he set out to carve his own path in business.

After a challenging start, he finally set up Chik India in 1983 with an initial investment of Rs. 15,000 and Chik Shampoo as his introductory product. The company was renamed as Beauty Cosmetics Pvt Ltd in 1990 and was subsequently rechristened as CavinKare Pvt Ltd in 1998.

A pioneer of innovation, Mr. Ranganathan has shaped the company to create innovative products by combining the best of nature and technology to improve the lifestyle of consumers. Under his inspiring leadership, the company while expanding into Personal Care, also diversified into Food, Beverages, Dairy, and Snacks categories, both in domestic and international markets.

Under his guidance, the Company has pioneered the concept of ‘Unisex Salons’ in India with the country’s most popular organized beauty salon brands – Green Trends and Limelite under its salon division, which has a clear-cut focus on providing personal styling and beauty solutions to everyone in the family.

Mr. Ranganathan was the Chairman of CII Southern Region and President of the All-India Management Association for 2021-22. Currently, he is the President of TiE – Chennai Chapter for 2021-22.

He was conferred the prestigious, Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Economic Times in 2004. He was also the Winner of the 2018 “ICIS World Surfactants Awards” for an outstanding contribution to the Surfactant Industry Globally.

Mr. Ranganathan is one of the founding members of the Ability Foundation – an NGO working towards the rehabilitation of the physically challenged. He also instituted the CavinKare Ability Awards in 2003 to celebrate the exemplary spirit of individuals who have risen above their physical limitations to display great achievements in life.

In order to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship, Mr. CK Ranganathan instituted the ChinniKrishnan Innovation Awards in 2011 in memory of his father, the late Shri. R. ChinniKrishnan. The award seeks to identify and promote entrepreneurs running small businesses built on innovative ideas.

Mr. CK Ranganathan’s endeavor of philanthropy and giving back to society has also extended to the field of education. CavinKare patronizes a few public charitable trusts that run schools and colleges. Notable among them, are the CK School of Practical Knowledge, a one-of-a-kind school in India that offers practical education to students from classes pre-kg to the 12th standard; the CK College of Engineering & Technology and an MBA institute in Cuddalore, both with the aim of providing world-class professional education to people in the rural and coastal regions of Tamil Nadu.