Rajen K. Mariwala, Managing Director, Eternis Fine Chemicals Ltd. and Member of Board of Directors of Marico Ltd. and Kaya Ltd. has been elected as President of Indian Chemical Council (ICC) in place of outgoing President Bimal L. Goculdas, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC Speciality Chemicals Ltd. 

Kartik Bharat Ram, Joint Managing Director, SRF Ltd. has been elected as Vice President and Ramya Bharathram, Managing Director & CFO, Thirumalai Chemicals Ltd. was elected as Additional Vice President of ICC.

Rajen Mariwala brings with him a rich experience of over 30 years in fragrances and 18 years in leading a competitive business in specialty chemicals. He has done his Masters in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, USA and is currently the Managing Director of Eternis Fine Chemicals Ltd., a leading exporter of specialty chemicals - specifically chemicals for fragrances and personal care products. He has been on the Board of Directors of Marico Ltd. since July 26, 2005.

Kartik Bharat Ram, Joint Managing Director, SRF Ltd. has been elected as Vice President, Indian Chemical Council. Kartik is the Joint Managing Director of SRF Ltd., a diversified chemicals conglomerate engaged in the manufacturing of industrial and specialty intermediates.

Kartik is deeply involved in the creation and strengthening of a performance-based culture within the organization and oversees human resources, Total Quality Management (TQM), Information Technology (IT), and corporate communications. His passion lies in ensuring that the organization’s capability is continuously enhanced to take on challenges that may lie ahead. In addition, Kartik serves as the Chairman of KAMA Holdings Limited, a company that holds a majority share in SRF Ltd. He is also a Director of Shri Educare Limited, a company in the school education consultancy space.

Kartik is a fellow of the India Leadership Initiative, Aspen Institute India. He also heads the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Northern Region Family Business Network Committee. In the past, he served as the President of the Indian Blind Sports Association and as Chairman of the CII Delhi State Council for the year 2007-08. Kartik is a graduate from Santa Clara University, California and earned an MBA from Cornell University, New York. He is an avid golfer and a winner of multiple pro-am Golf tournaments.

Commenting on the development, Kartik Bharat Ram said, "I am honoured and delighted to be appointed as the Vice President of the Indian Chemical Council (ICC) for the year 2023-2024. With a strong commitment to creating a high-performing, competitive, and resilient Chemical industry in India, I look forward to working closely with Rajen Mariwala, President of ICC and Ramya Bharathram, Additional Vice President in addressing bottlenecks and promoting the sector."

"Through meaningful dialogue with the industry and the government, I am confident that we will gain the requisite momentum we need to propel the industry forward. At ICC, we make constant efforts to improve operational and safety practices in the chemical industry, something that we will continue to focus on with greater fervour this year," added Ram.

Ramya Bharathram, Managing Director & CFO, Thirumalai Chemicals Ltd. has been elected as Additional Vice President, ICC.

She has headed businesses ranging from cosmetics and fragrance chemicals to food ingredients and commodity and industrial chemicals. She is now in charge of strategy, projects and corporate Policy, working on the Group’s plans for growth for the future. She manages the finance and funding activities of the company and the group.

She has over 16 years of experience in marketing, business management, new business development, customs & excise and trade defense, and accounts. She has worked in a leading law firm in India where she specialized in trade policy and direct taxation. She worked for Deloitte and Touche for 2 years in Assurance from 2000-2002.

Commenting on her appointment, Ramya Bharathram said, "The framework for the future is sustainability, growth, innovation and skilling. It is imperative that the Indian Chemical Industry invest time and resources in these areas. Decarbonisation and Net zero initiatives have been taken up by the industries across the globe. In order to continue to be a significant part of the global chemical industry, India's chemical industry must also move towards the committed net-zero targets."

"We also need to go beyond regular in-house R&D and increase our collaboration with institutions and academia to develop, and to get access to cutting-edge technology and upgrade to newer, better, cleaner practices.  India has the largest youth and adult working population and we must work with the various government agencies and with relevant educational and philanthropic organizations to ensure that suitable curricula are developed for post-secondary school education to meet our various needs. There is great opportunity for the Indian chemical industry. I hope we are able to take advantage of these to develop and grow into a significant contributor to India’s growth story," added Bharathram.