M. K. Mackar Pillay

Manadath Kunju Mackar Pillay (1880 – 1966) was an Indian industrialist, banker, philanthropist, and politician who served in the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly. He was a leading cashew and lemongrass exporter, and founder of the eponymous Mackar Pillay and Sons Limited.

Pillay was the promoter of the Bank of Alwaye, Alwaye Municipality's primary financial institution, before it was merged into the State Bank of Travancore in 1965.

Biography Mackar Pillay was born to Manadath Kunju, an Aluva agriculturalist and trader, as the second of three sons.

In 1941, Pillay founded Mackar Pillay & Sons, one of the largest trading firms in the Kingdom of Travancore. The company was the first to challenge the monopoly of British trading firms in the Malabar coast by directly exporting essential oils. and the Keezhmad Co-operative Bank.

Pillay was also a proponent of the education of Muslim women. He presented a considerable scholarship endowment to the Aligarh Muslim University for funding the education of the institution's female students.

Namesakes

MES M. K. Mackar Pillay College of Advanced Studies, Edathala

Descendants

M. M. Abdul Hameed - industrialist, philanthropist, and final managing director of Mackar Pillay & Sons Limited Naureen Hassan - president and chief executive officer of UBS Americas; former first vice president and chief operating officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York