An acknowledged authority on Home Pest Control, Mr Mahendran has a stellar track record of not only creating profitable businesses, but has also gained a respectable reputation for his exemplary skills in navigating mergers and acquisitions. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Mr Mahendran has completed Advanced Management Programs from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management, Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

Mr Mahendran's trail-blazing career is laden with myriad milestones, some of them being:

• In partnership with Mr R. Mohan, Mr Mahendran launched and established the Good Knight brand of mosquito repellants in 1987. Subsequently, the parent company Transelektra Domestic Products was acquired by the Godrej group in 1994.

The Godrej Group Association

• After the acquisition, Transelektra was renamed Godrej Hicare Ltd, and Mr Mahendran (a minority shareholder) was invited to take over as the Managing Director.
• Within a year, Mr Mahendran sold a 51% stake in Godrej Hicare Ltd. to the Sara Lee Corporation, USA, valuing the company at Rs 3.8 billion. The company was now rechristened as Godrej Sara Lee Ltd.
• In 2010 when Sara Lee Corp. decided to exit the Personal Care & Household Care business as part of their global strategy, Mr. Mahendran acquired Sara Lee’s 51% for the Godrej Group and integrated the business with Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. (GCPL) and took over as the combined entity’s Managing Director.
• Under his stewardship, the Good Knight brand has been acknowledged as a 'Super Brand', making Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. the largest Indian insecticide company, with a presence in 3 continents, and a revenue of Rs 60 Billion with a market capitalization of Rs 290 Billion.
• As a shareholder and a director in Godrej HiCare Ltd, Mr Mahendran steered the organization to a revenue of Rs 420 million in 2009, and helped the major shareholder Godrej Industries Ltd exit from Pest Management services, by bringing in a strategic buyer – ISS Integrated Facility Services Ltd. (ISS), a Danish multi-national.

Mr Mahendran also played a pivotal role during the various transitional stages of the following ventures:

• Godrej Tea – Godrej Beverages & Foods – Godrej Hershey (between 2003 & 2012)
• Godrej Adhaar – Adhaar Retailing (A Future Group Company) – 2008
• Between 2008-2016, Mr. Mahendran was on the board of Godrej Natures Basket Ltd., a premium food retail chain of the Godrej Group that has stores across India, and is instrumental in mentoring the top management on growth strategy.

Mahendran Holdings Pvt. Ltd.

To make investments in his personal capacity, in businesses with potential for exponential growth, Mahendran Holdings Pvt. Ltd. was set up in 1995.As an entrepreneur, Mr Mahendran’s business interests were varied:

GoodLife Industries – 1996

A beverage company producing packaged drinking water, fruit juices, drinks, premium soda and other related beverages under the brand name CheriO.

Harvey Heart Hospital – 1996

A super-specialty cardiac care hospital in Chennai

Great Lakes Institute of Management – 2004

Set up in partnership with Dr. Bala V. Balachandran (an eminent professor from the Kellogg School of Management, Chicago, USA), today GLIM continues to be ranked as one of India’s top Management schools

Global Consumer Products - 2014

In collaboration with two of the largest Private Equity Funds in the world -Goldman Sachs & Mitsui Global Invest, was set up the ‘Global Consumer Products’, a one-of-a-kind FMCG company with a first mover advantage in the Indian consumer space. The three collaborators had committed to invest a minimum of $ 50 Million (Rs. 3.15 Billion) in the start-up company with the mandate to build world class brands in the Indian consumer products space, with products ranging from F&B, Household Care, Chocolates and Confectionary. With an employee strength of over 110 people across a wide range of experience and culture spanning the entire southern part of the Indian Subcontinent, Global CP also has 150 Distributors, 5 C&F Depots and nearly 100 direct and 700 indirect on-ground Sales Team, while continuing to rapidly scale up. ‘LuvIt’ a brand of chocolates was launched in 2015, while ‘CheriO’ – the beverages brand, is poised to hit stores soon.

Having guided the company through its nascent years, Mr Mahendran exited the business in 2019.

ISS Hicare - Hicare Services – 2014

Having changed hands between 2009 and 2014, the acquisition of this Pest Management firm, brought Mr. Mahendran back into Household Insecticides — a category that he pioneered. Rechristened as Hicare Services Pvt. Ltd, the company is based in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, having a pan India presence, employing a little over 2500 people.

Industry recognition

Mr. Mahendran is a founding member and former President of the Home Insect Control Association (HICA). He is also a part of several industry forums such as FICCI, CII, Bombay Chamber of Commerce, Crop Care Federation of India and the Pest Control Association of India.