‘Kitchen Mogul’ TT Jagannathan, visionary behind Prestige brand, dies at 77

TT Jagannathan, the chairman emeritus of TTK Prestige, popularly known as ‘The Kitchen Mogul’, died on Thursday in Bengaluru. He was at 77.

Jagannathan was a gold medallist from IIT-Chennai and held a PhD in operations research from Cornell University, US. He was on the board of TTK Prestige for the last 50 years, the business founded by his grandfather and former Union finance minister TT Krishnamachari.

“We regret to inform you that the company was intimated today about the sudden demise of TT Jagannathan — chairman emeritus, belonging to the Promoter and Promoter Group of the Company, on October 9, 2025,” said TTK Prestige in a regulatory update informing his demise.

His sudden and unexpected passing away will be an “irreparable loss to the company” and all the directors and employees of the company convey deep sorrow and condolences, said TTK Prestige.

Jagannathan loved cooking. His need for innovation always began in the kitchen. Often referred to as ‘The Kitchen Mogul’, Jagannathan used to say: “If you don’t know how to cook, then you are not in the cooking business”.

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He was also the author of the famous book ‘Disrupt and Conquer-How TTK Prestige became a Billion Dollar Company’, detailing the company’s many milestones and its journey from bankruptcy to success.

He was instrumental in turning around the TTK Group and making it debt free with ‘a huge dose of common sense’ as he puts it.

Jagannathan was at the helm of TTK Prestige Limited since 1975 and has led the company to be a market leader in small appliances industry in the country.

He has made outstanding contribution not only in the successful management of affairs of the company but also in providing necessary technical inputs for development of novel products, research and development and application of technology by the company, it said.

Jagannathan joined the Board of the Company as a managing director in 1975, serving in that role for over 26 years until 2000, and as executive chairman for 19 years until 2019.

After 2019, he continued as non-executive director/chairman. He stepped down as chairman with effect from March 25, 2025.

“He has been the longest serving director/chairman of the company,” said TTK Prestige.