Ratan Tata is the best businessman in India because he has consistently put social and employee welfare before personal gain. He is in charge of one of the biggest conglomerates in India, which consists of almost 100 businesses with annual sales of more than USD 67 billion.
He assumed the position of chairman of Tata Sons in 1990, and he served as acting chairman in 2016. The Tata Group reached new heights during his leadership, with 50-fold increases in sales and profits. Let’s examine Ratan Tata’s life story and discover his motivational path.
Childhood and Early Life
The Tata Group, one of India’s wealthiest corporate dynasties that contributed to the country’s industrialization following independence, gave birth to Ratan Tata in 1937 in Mumbai. He studied architecture and structural engineering at Cornell University in the United States before earning a management degree from Harvard University.
Although he would eventually become the chairman of the Tata Group, he started off as a blue-collar worker at the Tata Steel Division. When the National Radio and Electronics Company Limited (NELCO) was in need of a revival in 1971, he was appointed Director-in-Charge and saved it.
When he became the Tata Group’s leader in 1990, he implemented a number of reforms to update the organization’s business practices in order to successfully compete in the new era. During his time there, he consolidated all of the Tata businesses, bought Tetley and Jaguar Land Rover, and floated Tata Motors on the New York Stock Exchange, bringing the business recognition on a global scale.
Under his direction, India received its first locally made car, the “Indica,” as well as its first little car, the “Nano.” The Nano is the most affordable car in the world, created by Tata with consideration for the security of nuclear families using two-wheelers.
Achievements
Ratan Naval Tata led the Tata Group until he retired in 2012, at which point he took up the interim chairmanship in 2017. The Indian government’s two highest decorations, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan were given to the industrialist.
One of Ratan Tata’s most important achievements, aside from founding the Corus Group, was expanding the Tata brand internationally by purchasing companies like Tetley Tea, the truck-making division of Daewoo Motors, and Jaguar Land Rover.
Ratan Tata led TCS, an IT services company, as it went public in 2004. Under Ratan Tata’s leadership, the carmaker Tata Motors was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. With the group creating a truly indigenous Indian brand, the Indica, and then the Nano, which was his original design, Tata’s contribution to the Indian auto industry has been a point in his favor. The Tata Group’s revenues and net earnings more than doubled during his leadership.
Overcoming the Challenges
Ratan Tata had a challenging assignment when he met with Ford officials to sell the automobile section of the Tata Group. Tata fought to advance the auto sector despite the failure of the acquisition. Nine years later, Ford was on the edge of bankruptcy, and Tata was able to negotiate the company’s acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover for more than $2 billion. He has shown his ability to overcome challenges by leading efforts to aid victims outside the Taj hotel during the 26/11 terror strikes.
Ratan Tata’s Philanthropic Work
- Ratan Tata, a supporter of rural development, healthcare, and education, assisted the University of New South Wales Faculty of Engineering in supplying improved water to neglected areas.
- Indian undergraduate students at Cornell University will receive financial assistance thanks to the $28 million Tata Scholarship Fund, which was founded by the Tata Education and Development Trust. The yearly award will help approximately 20 students at a time.
- In order to fund the construction of an executive center at Harvard Business School (HBS), Tata Group companies and Tata charities donated $50 million in 2010.
- For a cognitive system and autonomous vehicle research lab at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has donated $35 million. The 48,000-square-foot building, known as TCS Hall, is the largest corporate contribution in history.
- The Tata Group gave the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay 950 million rupees in 2014 to open the Tata Center for Technology and Design (TCTD). It was the largest gift the institute has ever received.
- In addition, Tata Trusts gave the Indian Institute of Science’s Centre for Neuroscience a grant for 750 million to study the mechanisms underlying the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and to create methods for its early detection and treatment.
- Furthermore, the Tata Group founded the MIT Tata Center of Technology and Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to address the challenges faced by resource-constrained nations, with an initial focus on India.
Key Takeaways
- Tata is a bright visionary who has consistently prioritized compassion over material success.
- He participates in a number of humanitarian and development programs aimed at improving living conditions and access to education in rural India.
- He has received numerous honors and distinctions during the course of his career. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008, the highest civilian honors.
- The Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, the University of New South Wales, the University of Warwick, and Carnegie Mellon have all awarded him honorary degrees.
- Despite owning less than 1% of the enormous conglomerate of Tata Group, his fortune of GBP 300 million is astounding.
