Ratan Tata - Biography , Early Life , Career , Achievement

Ratan Tata is one of the leading Indian industrialists, ex- Chairman of the largest Indian conglomerate, Tata Group of Companies. He currently holds the post of Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group which controls some of the major companies including Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Consultancy Services, Indian Teleservices. Hotels and Tata.

Childhood & Early Life

He was born on December 28, 1937 in Surat, India, to Naval Tata and Sonoo. Naval Tata was the adopted son of the Jamsetji Tata's younger son Ratanji Tata. Jamsetji Tata was the founder of the Tata Group of Companies. the Tata Group of Companies. Ratan Tata has a brother, Jimmy, and a step brother, Noel Tata.

When he was ten, his parents, got separated and thereafter, he and his brother were brought up by his grandmother, Navajbal Tata. He received his early education from the Campion School. Mumbal and finished his schooling from the Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai. In 1962. he obtained his B.S. in architecture with structural engineering from Cornell University, U.S.A.

Later he got enrolled at the Harvard Business School and completed and Advanced Management Program in 1975.

Career

In 1962, he started his career with the Tata Steel divisioni where he shoveled stones and worked with the furnaces along with the blue-collar employees. It was a difficult job and helped him gain a better understanding.

In 1971, he was appointed as the Director-in-Charge of the National Radio & Electronics Company Limited. (NELCO) in order to help its struggling finances. He worked towards building a better consumer electronics division but the economic recession and union strikes prevented him from achieving success.

In 1977, he was moved to Empress Mills, a struggling textile mill within the Tata Group. He proposed a plan for the mill but the other Tata executives rejected it and the mill was shut down. Later, he was moved to the Tata Industries.

In 1991, J.R.D. Tata appointed him as the new Chairman of the Tata Group of Companies. This decision came under scrutiny following objections from other executives of the company and questions were raised regarding histability to run the corporation.

But he succeeded in improving the financial success of the industries and expanded the growth of the organization under his leadership. He transformed the management and vision of the division, and managed to bring in significantly larger dividends.

He also became a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry. He served on the advisory board of the RAND's center for Asia Pacific Policy and is also an active participant in India's AIDS initiative program.

He also holds the membership of the international advisory board of the Mitsubishi Cooperation, the American International Group, JP Morgan Chase and Booze Allen Hamilton.

On his 75th birthday. le, on 28 December 2012 he resigned from the post of Chairman of Tata Group and was succeeded by Cyrus Mistry, managing director of Shapoorji Pallonji Group. Even after retirement, he is still an active businessman and invests in upcoming promising business ventures.

Major Works

As the Chairman of Tata Group, he was able to achieve international recognition and prestige for his company. The astounding financial success of the company brought the Tata Group to the New York Stock Exchange and under his supervision the corporation became a global brand by acquiring many companies including Tetley. Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus.

He was instrumental in the conception and building of Tata Nano and Tata Indica cars. He is also a notable philanthropist and more than 65% of his share is invested in charitable trusts. One of the primary goals of his life has been to raise the quality of life of Indians along with human development.

Awards & Achievements

 ✓ In 2000, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honor awarded Government of India.

 ✓ In 2004, he received the 'Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay" from the Government of Uruguay.

 ✓ In 2005, he was conferred the International Distinguished Achievement Award' by the B'nai B'rith International.

 ✓ In 2007, he was conferred the Honorary Fellowship of The London. School of Economics and Political Science.

 ✓ In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Vibhusan, the second highest civilian honor awarded Government of India.

 ✓ In 2009, he received the 'Award of 'Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Government of Italy.

 ✓ In 2009, he was awarded the title of Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, United Kingdom.

 ✓ In 2010, he won the 'Oslo Business for Peace Award' presented by the Business for Peace Foundation.

 ✓ In 2014, he was conferred the 'Honorary Knight Grand Cross of The Order of the British Empire'.

Personal Life & Legacy

Ratan Tata is a bachelor. He is known for his low profile lifestyle. He resides in a simple house in Mumbai and drives around in a Tata Sedan.

Tata family, family of Indian industrialists and philanthropists who founded ironworks and steelworks. cotton mills, and hydroelectric power plants that proved crucial to India's.

Industrial development

The Tata were a Parsi priestly family who originally came from the former Baroda state (now Gujarat). The founder of the family's fortunes was Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata (born March 3, 1839. Navsari [India]-died May 19, 1904, Bad Nauheim, Germany).

After an education at Elphinstone College in Bombay (Mumbai). he joined his father's export trading firm in 1858 and helped establish branches of the company in Japan, China, Europe, and the United States. In 1872 he concentrated on cotton manufacturing. founding mills at Nagpur in 1877 and, later, at Bombay and Coorla. His enterprises were noted for efficiency, for improved labour-protection policies, and for the introduction of finer grades of fibre. He also introduced the production of raw silk to India and planned for the Bombay-area hydroelectric power plants that became the Tata Power companies after his death.

Tata began organizing India's first large scale ironworks in 1901, and these were incorporated in 1907 as Tata Iron and Steel Company. Under the direction of his sons, Sir Dorabji Jamsetji Tata (1859-1932) and Sir Ratanji Tata (1871 1932), the Tata Iron and Steel Company became the largest privately owned steelmaker in India and the nucleus of a group of companies producing not only textiles, steel, and hydroelectric power but also chemicals, agricultural equipment, trucks, locomotives, and cement. The family's industrial facilities were concentrated In the city of Jamshedpur, in Bihar state.

In 1898 Tata donated land for a research institute that was later founded by his sons as the Indian Institute of Science, at Bangalore (Bengaluru). The Tata family went on to become perhaps the most important private funder of technical education and scientific research in India.