Nagasamy Satish Dhanabalan
Managing Director, Thalappakatti Hotels Pvt. Ltd.
Mr Satish Dhanabalan is the current Managing Director of Thalappakatti Hotels and the grandson of the founders, Nagasamy Naidu (Thatha) and Kannamma (Paati).
Armed with a degree in hotel management from Mangalore and an MBA from the UK, he returned to India and transformed the future of Dindigul Thalappakatti. Until then, his father had spread the brand to a total of 3 outlets.
In 2008, Mr. Satish decided to open a new restaurant in Anna Nagar, Chennai. This would eventually spread the brand’s popularity across Tamil Nadu. By 2013, Dindigul Thalappakatti had spread its wings internationally across 5 countries — USA, UAE, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia. Today, Dindigul Thalappakatti is Sri Lanka’s biggest South Indian restaurant brand.
Under Mr. Satish’s visionary leadership, the brand has now expanded to 100+ outlets across 6 countries.
He effectively devised and executed the centralised kitchen model to deliver consistent quality and flavour, elevated the brand’s global appeal, and expanded a workforce of over 3000+ individuals worldwide. His emphasis on customer-centricity and building capable teams has empowered the brand to deliver the authentic Thalappakatti experience both online and offline. His guidance has enabled the brand to become the most awarded and accoladed biriyani restaurant with more than 13+ awards received recently from the country’s best chefs, food critics, and the leading media houses.
Mr. Satish is a fitness enthusiast and enjoys dancing in his free time.
Ravi Kannan
Director & Advisor, Thalappakatti Hotels Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Ravi Kannan is a well-qualified finance professional with almost 30 years of experience. Currently a Director and Advisor at Dindigul Thalappakatti, his career began at Carrier Aircon Limited as an Internal Auditor in 1992, after becoming a Chartered Accountant.
In 1998, he went abroad and began working in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. He returned to India in 2002. Over the years, he has gained experience in analysing acquisition opportunities, implementing them, and carrying out post-acquisition activities. Aside from Finance, he has also been on the operations side, overseeing procurement, order management, sales planning, project control, and IT.
Mr. Ravi made his mark in key finance positions in Carrier Aircon, Voltas, and Mobil. His hard work earned him the title of Chief Financial Officer in Heidelberg, Bilfinger, Daimler India, and Dormakaba India. He is also a Partner of Indivar Capital Advisors.
Apart from work, Mr. Ravi is passionate about social upliftment and likes to spend time engaging in spiritual activities.
Ramesh Subbarao
Chief Financial Officer, Thalappakatti Hotels Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Ramesh Subbarao is the Chief Financial Officer of Dindigul Thalappakatti since Dec 2022. He is a professional Chartered Accountant and worked across industries such as Consumer & Industrial Electronics, Auto, Food and Education in various senior leadership roles.
With many M&A transactions & PE funding to his name, his expertise in the Food & Education sectors makes him a well-known and rounded professional. Mr. Ramesh Subbarao worked in globally renowned MNCs such as Larsen & Toubro, Faurecia, Global Green and Pearson.
During his time at Pearson spanning almost a decade, he was the CFO for its growth markets comprising 40+ countries and later worked as the Joint Managing Director at Pearson for its South Asia operations including Portfolio Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Customer Services.
His vast experience has helped Dindigul Thalappakatti make financially wise business decisions across the world. Mr. Ramesh enjoys watching every sport while he plays Cricket in the weekends.
Senthil Kumar
Chief Business Officer, Thalappakatti Hotels Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Senthil Kumar joined the Dindigul Thalappakatti team in August 2022, bringing with him over 20+ years of experience in varied industries. In 2010, he graduated from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore after completing the Executive Management Programme.
At Dindigul Thalappakatti, he is in charge of the growth strategy — encompassing operations, expansion, L&D, customer experience, and marketing. He believes that the right balance of planning, personnel management, process optimisation, and strategic pricing ensures success. As the CBO, his philosophy centres around mentoring employees and nurturing their growth so as to build a capable, independent team.
Before Dindigul Thalappakatti, Mr. Senthil worked at Arvind Brands, Shoppers Stop, and YLG for extensive periods in Operations Management. He was recently recognised as one of India’s top 10 Chief Business Officers by TradeFlock.
He is passionate about working out, and fits a daily run into his schedule, a practice he considers ‘essential self-care.’