Chennai

Celebrating MSMEs, The Hindu businessline brings its 5th annual MSME Conclave to two cities. After kicking off in Bengaluru on June 25, it reaches Coimbatore on June 27. The conclave will focus on financing strategies to help small firms navigate crisis and shift to clean mobility.

The series will discuss MSMEs’ contribution to the Indian growth story. The theme for the Coimbatore event is ‘Resilient Routes: Financing MSMEs from Crisis to Clean Mobility’.

The keynote speaker is Jairam Varadaraj, Managing Director, ELGI Equipments. The Hindu businessline Editor Raghuvir Srinivasan will address the audience before the commencement of the event.

The event will have two power-packed panel discussions and a fireside chat. There will be a special address on ‘Kerala: Your next investment destination’.

The first panel will deliberate upon ‘Financing in times of war’. The panel will have Karthikeyan Mounaguruswamy, immediate past President, CODISSIA; Rahul Jyothi Kumaran, Head-SME business, Sundaram Finance; and Kumar Duraiswamy, CEO, Eastern Global Clothing and Joint Secretary, Tiruppur Exporters Association. The session will be moderated by Lokeshwarri S K, Data Editor, The Hindu businessline.

The second panel is on ‘The Clean Mobility Opportunity for MSMEs’. The panellists include Dr S Chandrasekar, Corporate Director - Roots Group of Companies, Founder Trustee & Vice President - Society for Smart E-mobility; Shreshth Mishra, Co-founder & Chief People Officer, Simple Energy; and Sudeepth Puthumana, Head of Mobility, L&T Electronic Products and Systems. The session will be moderated by Ramesh M, Consulting Editor, The Hindu businessline.

The fireside chat with Ravichandran Purushothaman, Chairman-CII Southern Region and President, Danfoss India, will be hosted by Richa Mishra, Resident Editor, The Hindu businessline.

During the conclave, a special address on ‘Kerala: Your next investment destination’ will be given by Arun K Vijayan, IAS, Director, Industries, and MD, KSIDC.

The past four years too, on MSME Day, businessline had hosted similar conclaves for MSMEs, which saw the participation of many from this sector. These enterprises play a vital role in the Indian economy. With a vast network comprising approximately 6.3 crore MSMEs, the sector generates employment opportunities for around 11 crore people.

The Coimbatore conclave is co-powered by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and Central Bank of India. The Associate Partners are Bank of Baroda, Tally, SSVM Institutions, Indian Overseas Bank, Salzer, South Indian Bank, Turbo Engineering, Zorian Systems, Suguna Pumps & Motors, Malles Construction, eRoyce Motors India, and Ruh Continuum School. The Realty Partner is G Square and Lifestyle Partner is Lexus.

Published on June 26, 2026