Kailash Chandra Mahindra

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Kailash Chandra Mahindra (1894–1963), known as KC, was an Indian industrialist who co-founded Mahindra & Mohammed in 1945 with his brother Jagdish Chandra Mahindra. The company was renamed Mahindra & Mahindra in 1948. KC was born in Ludhiana, the second of nine children. After their father died early, his elder brother Jagdish became head of the family, and KC became his close partner in business.

KC studied at Government College, Lahore, and earned honours at the University of Cambridge, where he also played hockey and rowed. After graduating, he worked at Messrs. Martin & Company, editing the monthly magazine INDIA and briefly the Hindustan Review.

In 1942 he was appointed Head of the Indian Purchasing Mission in the United States. Returning to India in 1945, he chaired the Indian Coal Fields Committee and the Automobile and Tractor panel, helping shape coal policy and mining methods in the country. He also wrote the definitive biography of Sir Rajendra Nath Mookerjee.

In 1946 KC moved to Bombay and helped found Mahindra & Mahindra. He served as chairman for 13 years, guiding the company to become a major Indian industrial group in several sectors.

KC also served as a director of the Reserve Bank of India, Air India, and Hindustan Steel.