T.T. Jagannathan, the highly respected Chairman Emeritus of T.T.K. Prestige, passed away peacefully in Bengaluru on Friday, October 10, 2025, at the age of 77.
T.T.K. Prestige, the renowned kitchen and home products company and the flagship of the T.T.K. Group, expressed profound sorrow in a stock exchange filing. They stated that his “sudden and unexpected passing away will be an irreparable loss to the Company,” with all directors and employees extending their deepest condolences to his grieving family.
A brilliant mind, Mr. Jagannathan was the grandson of the former Union Finance Minister T.T. Krishnamachari, who originally founded the family business. He distinguished himself academically, earning a gold medal from IIT Madras and a PhD in operations research from Cornell University in the USA.
His exceptional skills were called upon in 1972 when his father, T.T. Narasimhan, traveled to Cornell to implore him to return to India. The family business was facing collapse, and Mr. Jagannathan’s leadership was desperately needed to rescue it.
A Legacy of Transformation: Building a Market Leader
Assuming the role of promoter-director, Mr. Jagannathan took the reins of T.T.K. Prestige Ltd. in 1975. Under his visionary leadership, the company soared to become a dominant market leader in India’s small appliances sector, a fact highlighted in the company’s 2025 annual report.
His strategic brilliance was instrumental in propelling the company’s market capitalization beyond one billion dollars. Beyond astute management, he was deeply involved in driving innovation, contributing significantly to the development of novel products, fostering robust research and development, and skillfully applying cutting-edge technology throughout the company’s operations.
A Long and Illustrious Career
Mr. Jagannathan’s dedication to T.T.K. Prestige spanned decades. He commenced his journey on the Board as Managing Director in 1975, a position he held for an impressive 26 years until 2000. Subsequently, he transitioned to Executive Chairman, serving for another 19 years until 2019. Even after stepping down from executive duties, he remained a guiding force as a non-executive director and chairman. His final departure as chairman came on March 25, 2025, marking him as the longest-serving director or chairman in the company’s rich history.
He shared his invaluable insights and experiences in his book, ‘Disrupt and Conquer: How T.T.K. Prestige became a billion dollar company.’ This compelling narrative meticulously chronicles the company’s numerous achievements and its remarkable journey from the brink of bankruptcy to becoming a thriving, billion-dollar enterprise.
A testament to his astute business acumen, Mr. Jagannathan played a crucial role in orchestrating the turnaround of the entire T.T.K. Group, eliminating its debt. He famously attributed this extraordinary feat to nothing more than ‘a huge dose of common sense.’
One of his most impactful contributions was the innovative gasket release system. Though he chose not to patent it, this ingenious invention revolutionized pressure cooker safety, effectively ending the widespread problem of bursting cookers and, in doing so, single-handedly pulling the company back from the verge of financial ruin.
A Passion for the Kitchen: The Cook’s Perspective
Mr. Jagannathan harbored a deep passion for cooking, a skill he cultivated from the tender age of eight.
During his book launch, he famously explained how his culinary pursuits fueled his professional success: ‘It was while cooking that I discovered the problem points in the kitchen, and that helped me innovate. I have made sure that all my executives and managers also know how to cook.’
He firmly believed, and often reiterated, that ‘If you don’t know how to cook, then you are not in the cooking business’ – a philosophy that clearly guided his company’s success.