Vellayan Subbiah of India Wins EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2024

Vellayan Subbiah, the Executive Vice-Chairman of Tube Investments of India (TII) and Chairman of Cholamandalam (Chola) Investment and Finance Co. Ltd., has been crowned the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2024. The prestigious award ceremony took place in Monaco’s Salle des Etoiles, where Vellayan emerged victorious among 51 winners from 47 countries and jurisdictions, making him the fourth winner from India in the award’s history.

Vellayan’s journey from an engineer to a strategic consultant and finally an entrepreneur has been nothing short of remarkable. Taking over leadership roles in his family’s business 15 years ago, he steered Chola through challenging times, ultimately becoming the Chairman and growing the company’s market capitalization by 60x. In 2018, he took the helm at TII, a manufacturing company, and transformed the business through strategic investments and acquisitions, resulting in a 13x growth in share price.

Apart from his business acumen, Vellayan is also committed to sustainability and community welfare, driving initiatives that have set new standards for corporate responsibility. Carmine Di Sibio, EY Global Chairman and CEO, praised Vellayan for his leadership qualities and dedication to giving back through education scholarships, health innovations, and environmental stewardship.

In his acceptance speech, Vellayan expressed his gratitude for being recognized as the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year and emphasized the importance of approaching challenges as opportunities for self-improvement. The annual World Entrepreneur of the Year event celebrates visionary leaders who are transforming industries and addressing global challenges, with Vellayan’s win being a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact.