C. Balagopal

Balagopal Chandrasekhar (born 2 October 1952), better known as C. Balagopal, is an Indian entrepreneur, author and former Indian Administrative Service officer. He founded Peninsula Polymers, also known as Penpol, India's first blood-bag manufacturing company. It later became Terumo Penpol after a joint venture with the Japanese company Terumo. He served as part-time chairman of Federal Bank from November 2021 to June 2023. In September 2024, he was appointed chairman of the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC).

Early life and education Balagopal was born in Kollam, Kerala. He spent much of his childhood on tea and rubber estates in the Nilgiri Hills and Wayanad, where his father worked as a manager. He attended The Lawrence School, Lovedale, studied economics at Loyola College, and completed a master's degree in economics from the University of Madras. He later joined a doctoral programme at the University of Kerala.

Career Balagopal passed the civil services examination in 1976 and joined the IAS in 1977. He was allotted the Manipur cadre and first worked in Tamenglong. He later served in Ukhrul and Imphal West. In 1980, he went on deputation to Kerala, where he served as a sub-divisional officer in Kollam and later worked in a state public-sector undertaking. He resigned from the service in 1983. The company became one of the largest manufacturers of blood-bag systems and exported its products to more than 50 countries.

Balagopal served as an independent director on the board of Federal Bank and was its part-time chairman from 22 November 2021 to 28 June 2023. He was appointed chairman of KSIDC in September 2024 and continues to hold the post.

On a Clear Day You Can See India: The Little World of the District Official (2013) Maveli & Markets: How Supplyco Held the Price Line (2019) Below the Radar: The Untold Story of How Modern Manufacturing Grew by Stealth in Kerala (2023)

Awards In 1995, Balagopal received the National R&D Award for the successful commercialisation of indigenous technology from the Ministry of Science and Technology.