Dr A Sakthivel takes over as new chairman of AEPC

Sakthivel shared the concern that for the past three years the industry has been struggling to survive and the growth of apparel exports has been stagnant. However, he assured the members of the Council that he will convince the senior officials of the Central Government to get the required incentives and benefits thereby reviving growth of the sector and overall exports.

Sakthivel was first elected to the board of directors of AEPC in the year 1982 thus serving the council for almost four decades.  He is also the first person in the history of AEPC to have become its chairman for the fourth time. His diligence has played a vital role in the growth of the Council and gradually led to the improvement of exports at the national level.

He has also served as managing committee member of Federation of Indian Exporters Organisation (FIEO) for more than a decade. He was also the president and regional chairman of FIEO, Southern Region.

He along with some exporters had established Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) in 1990. He was the first president of TEA and with his dynamism, he held the post continuously for a period of 27 years. During his tenure as president of TEA, the export turnover of Tiruppur industry increased to a whopping ₹27,000 crore in 2016-17 from ₹270 crore in 1990. The Government of India recognised his unparalleled service  to export sector specifically  to apparel sector  and knitting industry, creation of infrastructure such as industrial parks, ICDs and his contribution to the  society with  regard  to education,  drinking water,  sanitation and  drainage etc,  by  honouring  him with  one  of  the  country's most  prestigious  and esteemed  Civilian  Award  'Padma Shri' in  2009—the first  in  the  overall  textile  industry.

Besides  being  privileged  with  many  honours  and  accolades, Sakthivel was also conferred with Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) in 2011 by Bharathiyar University for his pivotal role in motivating many enterprising and capable youngsters to make a career in exports  and  also  for  his  dedicated  involvement  in  visionary  projects,  initiatives  and  his  immeasurable  contribution for the growth of industry and development of society.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RKS)