After retiring as Thermax MD, Unnikrishnan to play bigger role in start-up ecosystem

Unnikrishnan began his career with Thermax after graduating in mechanical engineering from VNIT, Nagpur, in 1982.

MS Unnikrishnan — who is ready to hand over the reins of energy and environment company Thermax by the end of this month — is all set to begin playing a larger role in the start-up ecosystem. He has started with initial investment in Donatekart, a crowd-sourced donation platform.

Unnikrishnan said there are not many real technology-led start-ups and that’s an area he would like to focus on. He has started working with Ascent Foundation set up by Marico founder Harsh Mariwala that helps mid-sized companies scale up and prepare them for growth. The outgoing Thermax MD has already been advising start-ups. Mentees have rated him 5/5 for his mentorship, Thermax chairperson Meher Pudumjee said about Unnikrishnan.

He has also joined the boards of KEC and Kirloskar Brothers.

Unnikrishnan began his career with Thermax after graduating in mechanical engineering from VNIT, Nagpur, in 1982. Taking over as the GM of the ailing waste management division in 1997, he turned around the business which was followed by a turnaround of the absorption cooling division, and thus began his rise in the company. He also led Thermax’s foray into international markets by expanding the company footprint in Europe through acquisitions and greenfield projects in China and Indonesia. The company turnover grew from Rs 2,200 crore to Rs 6,200 in 12 years. Revenues from the international marker grew from Rs 440 crore to Rs 2,600 crore.