Mr. M Kuppuswami Subramaniam (1923-2008) worked at IIMA from 30th September 1963 to 10th June 1971. Popularly known as MKS, he joined as the Administrative Officer (re-designated as Chief Administrative Officer) and acted as Secretary to the IIMA Society, the Board of Governors and the Faculty Council.

He pursued his postgraduate studies at St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirapalli and received his MA (Economics) Degree from the University of Madras. Earlier, he did his Undergraduate/Intermediate Degree from the National College, Tiruchirapalli, University of Madras. His High School graduation (Matriculation) was from C.H. School, Tiruvadu, Tamilnadu.

He started his career as Lecturer in Economics for Undergraduate Courses (1949-50) in a college under the Osmania University, Hyderabad and later handled Postgraduate Courses at the University itself. In the Special IAS (Indian Administrative Service) and Central Services Examination, he qualified in the latter category and joined in 1959-60 as Under Secretary at the Central Secretariat, New Delhi. Immediately thereafter his services were given on deputation as Special Officer under the Principal, IIPA (Indian Institute of Public Administration), New Delhi mainly to conduct training programs for probationary officers of PSUs (Public Sector Units) like the erstwhile Hindustan Steel (SAIL).

At IIMA, he worked in the capacity of the Chief Administrative Officer at IIMA. His major contributions to the institution include building the administrative and accounts support system in its natal stages. His article on the IIMA Campus was published in the October 1969 issue of IIMA's Alumnus.

Mr. Subramaniam was the architect and engineer of the Institute's administrative and accounts support system. He was instrumental in recruiting the staff members particularly the stenographers in the initial years of the Institute. He was the first to achieve some semblance of gender balance in staff recruitment.

As CAO, Mr. Subramaniam was assigned the task of writing the minutes for the IIMA Society, the Board of Governors and Faculty Council as well as all the major committee meetings. He wrote the minutes in great detail, providing a valuable insight into IIMA's history, several decades later.

After leaving IIMA in June, 1971, he was Registrar and Secretary to the Board of ASCI (Administrative Staff College of India) for a decade in Hyderabad. From the middle of the 1980s to the middle of the 1990s, he ran a coaching institute at Hyderabad for MBA and GMAT Entrance Examinations. Thereafter he settled down at Kodaikanal and managed a small coffee plantation for more than a decade.

He passed away at Chennai aged 85 on 12th March 2008. He was survived by his spouse Mrs. Vathsala Subramaniam and three children, Mr. S Mohan Kumar, Mr. Jambunathan and Mrs. Pushpa Mohanram. Incidentally, two of his children, Mr. S Mohan Kumar and Mr. Jambunathan were also associated with IIMA as students of the 1970 and 1972 batch respectively.

(With inputs from his son, Mr. S Mohan Kumar in November 2023)

Date of Birth: November 3, 1923

Date of Death: March 12, 2008