P Nataraj has been elected the new chairman of SIMA (Southern India Mills’ Association). Nataraj is the managing director of KPR Mill. A science graduate and fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, he is a member of Committee of Confederation of Indian Textile Industry and also VP-Indian Cotton Federation. He is a managing trustee in the KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology that extends quality education. He is involved in the functioning of the KPR IAS Academy that provides free coaching to aspirants of competitive examinations.

K Vinayakam has been chosen deputy chairman. He is managing director of Chennai Silks. Vinayakam is a philanthropist and a recipient of awards and accolades.

The new vice chairman of SIMA is Ashwin Chandran, who is chairman and managing director of the Coimbatore-based Precot Meridien Group, which has textile units in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. A graduate in textile technology, he is a member of Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council, Mumbai, and Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, New Delhi.

SIMA was set up in 1933 and has a strong data base, it advises members on all functional areas of the textile industry, from designing a textile project to marketing.