Arokiaswamy Velumani | The success story of the founder of Thyrocare

Arokiaswamy Velumani is the founder, chairman, and managing director of Thyrocare Technologies Ltd. It is a chain of diagnostic and preventive care laboratories headquartered in Navi Mumbai. His journey to creating one of the world’s largest preventive healthcare labs and diagnostic centres was not an easy one. Velumani’s success story from rags to building a 3300 crore empire is inspiring to many around the world.

His early life

Arokiaswamy was born in 1959, to a poor landless farmer in a village on the outskirts of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. At an early age, his father gave up on leading his family. His mother supported him and his three siblings. She put together Rs. 50 per week from the milk fetched from the buffaloes and used it to take care of her family. Growing up in a village with no proper access to education, Arokiaswamy decided to move out in search of a better future.

At the age of 19, Arokiaswamy graduated with a BSc. degree. Unfortunately, he was unable to find a decent job for himself. Finally, he started working at Gemini Capsules, a small pharmaceutical company in Coimbatore. He was paid a meagre amount of Rs 150 per month. In an interview, he said that he used to save Rs. 50 for himself and telegram the rest of the salary to his parents. After working there for four years, he quit his job. Next, he started working at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre(BARC) in Mumbai as a lab assistant for 14 years. Talking bout his early days of hardships, he says, “ My parents were very poor. They never had the luxury of buying me a pair of sandals or trousers. It wasn’t easy. But today, I am at the top of the very pyramid.”

 The success of Thyrocare

Arokiaswamy Velumani earned a master’s degree in 1985 and later a doctor’s degree in Thyroid Biochemistry in 1995. In 1996, he decided to set up his own thyroid testing laboratory. His first Thyrocare lab was set up in Byculla, Mumbai. Initially, it focused on thyroid testing and disorders. Over the years, it branched out into other areas of diagnostics including diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), infertility, and cardiovascular diseases.

Under Velumani’s leadership, Thyrocare became the largest thyroid testing laboratory. He established more than 1000 outlets across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Middle East. Velumani is also the founder and managing director of Nuclear Healthcare Ltd. NHL is a radiology diagnostics company with its main branch at Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. This project offers cancer-related imaging services at half the cost of other providers. Dr. A. Velumani also launched two healthcare brands focused on affordable TB diagnostics and wellness preventive health check packages. He is also a passionate motivational and business speaker at corporate events.

Velumani’s inspiring story

Today, Thyrocare is one of the top diagnostic solution centers and conducts approximately 110 million tests in a year. His story from being the son of a landless farmer to a billionaire is one of true grit. In order to become successful, you need to keep believing in yourself and work hard with determination.

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