TT Jagannathan, 'the cooker pioneer' of Prestige dies

TT Jagannathan, Chairman Emeritus of the TTK Group and the visionary behind the iconic Prestige brand, died in Bengaluru on Thursday (October 9). He was among India’s foremost business leaders who transformed the country’s kitchenware industry through innovation and resilience.

Jagannathan revolutionised the pressure cooker market with the introduction of the gasket release system, a safety innovation that not only redefined consumer trust but also made Prestige a household name across India.

Armed

with a PhD in Operations Research from Cornell University and a medal from IIT Madras, Jagannathan combined academic rigour with entrepreneurial foresight.

Over his five-decade tenure on the board of TTK Prestige, he steered the company through multiple challenges, including a near-bankruptcy, eventually transforming it into a debt-free and billion-dollar enterprise.

Jagannathan was also the author of the widely acclaimed book “Disrupt and Conquer: How TTK Prestige Became a Billion Dollar Company,” which chronicled the company’s journey from adversity to global success.

In the book, Jagannathan described how TTK Prestige faced severe financial distress in the 1990s, to the point of near-bankruptcy, due to overexpansion and losses in some divisions.

He recounted how the company undertook a major restructuring, focusing on its core kitchen appliances business, tightening costs, and innovating with new products like the safety pressure cooker. Through these measures, TTK Prestige eventually became debt-free and grew into a billion-dollar enterprise, both in valuation and market capitalisation

Colleagues and industry leaders remembered him not only as a corporate stalwart but also as a passionate cook who personally understood the needs of the modern Indian kitchen, an insight that often guided his innovations.

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