Mammen Mapillai, Chairman MRF, passed away in Chennai late at night on March 2 after a brief illness, family sources said.

K M Mammen Mapillai was born in 1922. His wife is Meera Mammen and they had three sons and a daughter.

Mammen Mapillai was former President of the Automotive Tyres Association of India. MRF has factories all over the country. The group which was floated in 1961, has now emerged as a group with a turnover of Rs 2,241 crore (Rs 22.41 billion).

He owned many rubber plantations in Kerala. His funeral will be held tomorrow at the Kilpauk cemetery here, the sources said.

A Science graduate, Mammen Mapillai was also associated with Malayala Manorama, India's largest circulated daily newspaper, weekly and other publications.

Born in 1922, Mammen Mapillai was recipient of Padmashri in 1992. He also received the MMA business leadership award in 1995, Ernst & Young 'lifetime achievement award' in 2002 and 'Auto Ratna' award in 2002.

Mammen Mapillai had visited rubber factories in the Middle East, Europe, UK, Japan, US and Canada and was associated with several rubber plantation companies and rubber goods manufacturing companies in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Tamil Nadu.

He was a member of Central Industrial Advisory Council for Industry, The Board of Trade, The Development Council For Automotive and Allied Industries, the Advisory Council on Trade, Government of India, State Industrial Advisory Committee, Government of Tamil Nadu.

He was Director of State Band Of India, Central board from 1973 to 1984 and Institute of Science, Bangalore.

He was President of Madras local board of SBI, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (southern region), Hindustan chamber of Commerce, Chennai.

MRF has also diversified into toys, leather, paints and conveyor belting. MRF had been associated with Masfield tyres of US, Uniroyal Goodrich Tyre of the US and Michelin Tyres of France in the past. It is associated with US-based Hasbro for toys.