RATAN TATA BIOGRAPHY (1937-2024) (Ajay Kumar Upadhyay)

 RATAN TATA BIOGRAPHY (1937-2024)

Ajay Kumar Upadhyay

Department of Integrated

( “I don’t believe in taking the right decisions. I take decisions and then make them right.”)

 Ratan Tata is a prominent Indian industrialist, philanthropist, and former chairman of the Tata Group, known for his significant contributions to the business landscape and his philanthropic efforts. He was born on 28 December 1937 in Bombay, British India (present-day Mumbai), Ratan Tata is the son of Naval Tata and Sooni Commissariat and passed away at the age of 86 on October 9,2024. Ratan Tata is unmarried. He maintains a low-profile lifestyle. He owns a simple house in Mumbai and drives a Tata Sedan.

His early schooling was done in Mumbai at Campion School and John Connon School. He received his degree in Architecture with structural engineering from Cornell University, U.S.A. In 1975 he completed an advanced management programme at the Harvard Business school.

Talking about Ratan Tata's business story he joined Tata Sons in 1962, where he worked on the floor. It was a strenuous and difficult job, but he gained experience and understanding of the family business. 

In 1971, he was made Director-in-charge of the NELCO (National Radio and Electronics Company Ltd). The company was going through a financial crisis phase. Ratan Tata worked hard to build an improved consumer electronics division, but the economic recession and Union issues did not prove successful. 

In 1977, he was transferred to Empress Mills, another struggling Tata Group unit. He made a plan for the mill’s revival, but the other company executives rejected it, and the mill was shut down. Ratan Tata was yet again moved to Tata Industries. 

In 1991, JRD Tata appointed Ratan Tata the Chairman of the Tata Group. There were objections from other executives amid concern regarding his ability to manage the responsibilities. Once at the Tata Group’s helm, Ratan Tata successfully improved the organisation’s overall position. He modified the management and vision of the division and also managed to increase the dividends. During this period, he was also a Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry member. He was on the advisory board of the RAND for the Asia Pacific Policy. 

In December 2012, on his 75th birthday, Ratan Tata resigned as chairman of Tata Group. Cyrus Mistry, the Managing Director of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, became the new chairman of the Tata Group. He acted as the interim chairman from October 2016 through February 2017. 

Retirement does not hold him back as he still actively invests in new promising business ventures. He is a dedicated philanthropist and contributes significantly to various charities in the country.  

Talking about the major Successes of Ratan Tata in the capacity of Tata Group’s Chairman, he took the company to such heights that it was prestigiously recognized at the international level. The company achieved great financial success, and the Tata Group reached the New York Stock Exchange. Under his leadership, Tata Group became a global brand with its acquisition of companies such as Corus, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tetley. The Tata Nano and Tata Indica automobiles were conceived and built under his leadership.

A major philanthropist, he has invested over 65 percent of his share in charitable trusts. A key goal of his life is to give Indians a better quality of life and ensure human development.

Ratan Tata - Achievements and Awards

·         Padma Bhushan (3rd highest civilian honour of the Govt. of India (2000)).

·         Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (Govt. of Uruguay (2004)).

·         International Distinguished Achievement Award (B’nai B’rith International (2005)).

·         Honorary Fellowship of The London School of Economics and Political Science (2007).

·         Padma Vibhushan (2nd highest civilian honour of the Govt. of India (2008)).

·         Award of ‘Grand Officer’ of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Government of Italy (2009)).

·         Title of Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, United Kingdom (2009).

·         Oslo Business for Peace Award (Business for Peace Foundation (2010)).

·         Honorary Knight Grand Cross of The Order of the British Empire (2014).