Subbiah holds an MBA finance from the University of California, Berkeley. He was an independent consultant working with start-ups. He had a distinguished career in senior management positions with Fortune 500 companies in the Asia-Pacific region.
Subbiah is a fourth generation Chettiar whose great grandfather started his financing business in 1892 in Market Street. His father was also a financier and Subbiah lived in a Kittangi in Market Street.