N. Ramanathan, 77, has an industrial background, having worked in diverse functions and having headed for six years the joint-venture auto-components company SRF Nippondenso, near Delhi, which introduced him to Japanese TQM. His experience spans 54 years, including 30 years to date in the quality field. He has guided companies for the past 17 years as an independent counsellor in quality-based management and has been associated with twelve successful Deming Prize challenges including two for his parent company, SRF, where he continues as adviser. He has taught and advised Ashok Leyland, CEAT, Indus Towers, JSW Steels, the Mahindra group, Tata Quality Management Services, Tata Steel and other organizations.

Ramanathan is a founder member and past President of ISQ with which he continues to be actively engaged. He is on the Board of Asian Network for Quality (ANQ). He has played leadership roles in promoting Quality in CII, the Quality Council of India (QCI) and the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association.

Ramanathan is an Academician in the International Academy for Quality (IAQ) and serves on its Board as Vice President, and as Chair of its Examination Committee. He founded the IAQ Think Tank on Quality in Planet Earth Concerns in 2015, chaired it till 2020 and continues as its member. He is also a vice-chair of the IAQ Quality 4.0 Think Tank. In 2021, Ramanathan wrote, together with co-author Dr Gregory Watson, a Quality Manifesto for the 21st Century, which was adopted by IAQ. It is endorsed by eighteen national Quality Bodies and has been translated into thirteen languages including Chinese, Spanish and Arabic.

Ramanathan has conducted training programs, spoken at international conferences, and has published numerous articles and papers in both academic and lay journals. He has conducted three half-day webinars titled Health of Planet Earth through Quality, for ISQ.

Ramanathan has received several awards:

2021: Edwards Medal from the American Society for Quality (ASQ) for outstanding leadership
2018: Dronacharya Award from ISQ for leadership in guiding Indian organizations
2017: Ishikawa-Kano Award - Silver Medal of ANQ for long-term contributions to quality
2022: Outstanding Jury Selection Award of QCI for groundbreaking initiatives …
2022: Founders Medal for extensive contributions to the furtherance of the IAQ goals
2017: Yoshio Kondo Award of IAQ for academic research
2012: CII Cluster Champion award for championing the cluster method of TQM dissemination