Lakshmi Venu

Early Life and Education

“Lakshmi, now on the Board of the TVS Motor Company and Sundaram-Clayton, is equally brilliant in academics as well as in the corporate world.”
—Bibhu Ranjan Mishra & T.E. Narasimhan, Business Standard

Dr. Lakshmi Venu was born in 1983, the first child and only daughter of Venu and Mallika Srinivasan. She is the great-granddaughter of the acclaimed industrialist Thirukkurungudi Vengaram “TV” Sundaram Iyengar.

After completing her primary education at the Sishya School in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Venu attended Yale University in the United States and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in economics. She continued her education at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, eventually earning her doctorate in Engineering Management.

All in the Family

“Inside the family, Lakshmi taking on the leadership role of TVS Motors is not something unusual, though for media, it definitely makes big news when a 30 year old is assigned the responsibility of the chief executive officer of a leading automobile company in the country.”

—Nashaat Quadri, Naukri Hub

Dr. Venu is just one member of a family heavily entrenched in the auto business. Her great-grandfather, T.V. Sundaram Iyengar, founded the bus company T.V. Sundaram Iyengar & Sons, which eventually became the parent company of the TVS Group. Her father (and Sundram Iyengar’s grandson), Venu Srinivasan, started his career working as a mechanic in a TVS garage. By 1979, though, he was a Managing Director of Sundaram Clayton Ltd, and in 2002, he was named Chairman of the TVS Motor Company. Meanwhile, mother Mallika Srinivasan led TAFE Limited to its current position as the world’s third-largest tractor manufacturer, with business relationships in over 75 countries. She currently serves as Chairman and CEO of TAFE. Venu’s younger brother, Sudarshan Venu, became a joint managing director for TVS in 2014. And cousins Arundhati and Arathi Krishna have made their mark on industrial component manufacturer Sundaram Fasteners, serving as additional director and executive director since 2005 and 2006 (respectively).

Venu’s Philosophies

“While Venu is part of the Chennai elite who frequent the “three M’s”—the Madras Club, Marina Beach, and the Music Academy—she also says that her values are typical of traditional Chennai, emphasizing family, education, culture, and simplicity.”

—Shoba Narayan,