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In an unusual move, the Board of the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI), the apex body representing the Rs 982-billion fertiliser industry, has elevated S Sankarasubramanian as new Chairman after Sailesh C Mehta quit last week, within six months from taking charge as Chairman in June. “Board of FAI in its meeting held on October 31, elected S Sankarasubramanian as Chairman of FAI,” the industry association said in a notice on its website. Sankarasubramanian is currently the Managing Director and CEO of Coromandel International. Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director of Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation, assumed charge as head of FAI in June, succeeding N Suresh Krishnan of Paradeep Phosphates. He was supposed to continue for two years. Sources said that Mehta sent his resignation letter only a few days before the Board meeting. During Krishnan tenure as chairman (December 2022-May 2025), Mehta was Co-Chairman of FAI. He had also served as Chairman of FAI’s western region for over five years. Before the elevation, Sankarasubramanian was the Co-Chairman along with Siba Prasad Mohanty, MD of public sector Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL). Sankarasubramanian has over three decades of diverse experience in finance, strategy, and general management, FAI said on its website. He has played a pivotal role in shaping Coromandel’s growth journey after joining the group’s sugar company E.I.D. Parry (India) in 1993. Later on in 2003, he was shifted to Coromandel where served as Chief Financial Officer before his elevation as Executive Director (nutrient business). Mohanty, the current Co-Chairman of FAI, has over 36 years of diverse experience in various PSUs of the agri-input industry. Started his career with Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertiliser (RCF) in 1989, he was Chairman and Managing Director of HIL (formerly Hindustan Insecticides Ltd) as well as CMD of Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizers Corporation Limited (BVFCL) until December 2023 when he was shifted to HURL. Published on November 3, 2025
