Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, May 2026 — Alagesan Thasari has joined Coats India as Managing Director, marking a significant leadership addition as the organization continues to strengthen its growth and innovation agenda.
In this role, Alagesan will lead Coats India’s strategic direction, focusing on business growth, operational excellence, sustainability, and innovation, while building on the company’s strong legacy in the textile and performance materials industry.
Alagesan joins Coats India after a distinguished tenure at SKF Group, where he served as Director & Head of Automotive Business – India, South East Asia and ANZ. In this role, he led end-to-end business operations, including strategy, engineering, product development, and P&L management across multiple geographies.
Prior to this, he held the role of CTO (Industrial & Automotive) – India, South East Asia and ANZ at SKF Group, leading technology development, R&D, and innovation initiatives across the region.
Earlier, Alagesan was associated with Alstom, where he served as Global Vice President – Product Management and Engineering, leading product lifecycle management across rolling stock projects and overseeing engineering and innovation functions.
He also spent over a decade with Caterpillar Inc., holding multiple leadership roles across engineering, product development, and supply chain. His early career includes roles at Wipro, Bharti Airtel, and TVS Motor Company, building a strong foundation in business transformation and product development.
In addition, Alagesan serves as a Board Member at Durham University Business School, contributing to strategic advisory and academic development.
Alagesan holds an MBA from Durham University Business School, has completed executive education at Indian School of Business, and earned a Master of Science from Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani.
Coats is a world leader in thread manufacturing and structural components for apparel and footwear, and a pioneer in performance materials. Headquartered in the UK, Coats operates across around 50 countries with a workforce of over 17,000 employees.
With a legacy of over 250 years, the company delivers innovative and sustainable solutions across industries including apparel, automotive, telecom, and personal protection. Coats continues to drive innovation through dedicated global innovation hubs and is committed to sustainability goals, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
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