Our People
Four generations
The same family has been mixing these medicines since 1908
Kairali is run by the third and fourth generations of a line of Ayurvedic physicians. That is the whole basis of the company, and it is worth being specific about.
Why the lineage matters more than the founding date
Ayurvedic manufacture is not a recipe business. The classical texts set the ingredients and proportions, but a great deal that decides whether a preparation works sits outside the text — which season a herb was picked in, how long an oil is cooked and at what heat, when to stop. That knowledge is transmitted by working alongside someone who already has it, which is why family lines persist in this field long after they have disappeared from most others.
Kairali's runs back to Dr Sankunny Vaidiar and then to Dr K.S.V. Vasudevan, who was known particularly for the mixing of Ayurvedic medicine. His son learned it from childhood, in the practice, before he learned anything about business. The company as it exists now was founded in 1989; the practice behind it is considerably older, and the products carry 1908 for that reason.
K.V. Ramesh
Managing Director and co-founder
Third generation of the line. He assisted in the family's Ayurvedic practice from childhood and had an early education in the mixing of medicines, the practice his father Dr K.S.V. Vasudevan was known for. He co-founded the group in 1989 and continues to work across both the health and business sides of it.
Gita Ramesh
Joint Managing Director
With the group since its inception, and an Ayurvedic chef and scholar as well as a director — the dietary side of Ayurveda is a discipline in itself and hers is the standard the group's treatment centres work to. She received the Safari India National Tourism Award for Best Woman Entrepreneur for Promoting Wellness in 2010.
Abhilash K. Ramesh
Director — international
The eldest of the fourth generation. He grew up inside a working Ayurveda enterprise, as his father did, and now leads Kairali's international growth — pairing the inherited side of the knowledge with the business experience needed to take it outside India.
Abhishek K. Ramesh
Director — products division
Trained as an engineer in New York before joining as a director. He runs the products division, including the online business and the international distribution and franchise network, and leads the expansion of the group's pharmaceutical brands.
The physicians and the factory
Beyond the family
Formulation and quality are not run by the directors. Production is supervised by Ayurvedic physicians, research scientists and technologists at the GMP-certified plant in Kerala, and the R&D division carries the work of evaluating and revising the range. A free consultation with a Kairali physician is available if you would rather ask a doctor than read a page.
Always read the label and directions on the pack you receive, and speak with your physician before starting anything new — particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, managing a health condition or taking prescription medicine. Nothing on this page is medical advice or a diagnosis.