RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO
RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO
Ratan Tata: Key facts to know
He was raised by his grandmother, Navajbai Tata. Ratan Tata received his undergraduate degree in bachelor of architecture from Cornell University in 1962 and completed Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 1975.
Ratan Tata was Born on 28 December 1937 in Bombay, British India (now Mumbai), Ratan Tata was the son of Naval Tata and Sooni Commissariat. They separated when Ratan Tata was 10 years old. He was then adopted by his grandmother Navajbai Tata from the J. N. Petit Parsi Orphanage. Tata was raised with his half-brother Noel Tata (son of Naval Tata and Simone Tata).
Ratan Tata was educated at Campion School, Mumbai, Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and Riverdale Country School, New York City. He is an alumnus of Cornell University and Harvard Business School. (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO)
Ratan Tata – The Chairman of Tata Sons
When JRD Tata resigned as the Chairman of Tata Sons in 1991, he appointed Ratan Tata as his successor. He faced stiff resistance from many company heads who had worked for decades in their respective companies. Tata began replacing them by setting a retirement age. He made it mandatory for each company to report to the group office. Under his leadership, the overlapping companies of Tata Sons were streamlined into a coordinated unit (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
During his 21-year tenure, revenues grew more than 40-fold and profits more than 50-fold. He helped Tata Tea acquire Tetley, Tata Motors acquire Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Steel acquire Corus, transforming the organization from a primarily India-focused group to a global business (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
He also conceptualized the Tata Nano car. The car was priced at a price that was within the reach of the average Indian consumer.
Ratan Tata resigned as Chairman of Tata Sons on 28 December 2012, upon turning 75. Cyrus Mistry was named his successor, however, the board of directors and the legal division voted to remove him on 24 October 2016 and Ratan Tata was made interim chairman of the group. (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
The chairman of Tata Sons
A selection committee comprising Ratan Tata, TVS Group chief Venu Srinivasan, Bain Capital’s Amit Chandra, former diplomat Ronen Sen and Lord Kumar Bhattacharya was formed to select Ratan Tata’s successor. The committee named Natarajan Chandrasekaran as the chairman of Tata Sons on 12 January 2017 (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
Ratan Tata Biography: Philanthropic work of Ratan Tata
As a supporter of education, medicine and rural development, Ratan Tata supported the engineering faculty of the University of New South Wales to provide better water in challenged areas.
-The Tata Education and Development Trust provided the Tata Scholarship Fund of $28 million to enable Cornell University to provide financial aid to graduate students from India. The annual scholarship supports about 20 students at a time (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
-Tata Group companies and Tata Charities donated $50 million to Harvard Business School (HBS) in 2010 to build an executive center.
-Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) donated $35 million to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to research cognitive systems and autonomous vehicles. This is the largest donation ever made by a company and the 48,000 square foot building is called TCS Hall (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
-The Tata Group loaned $950 million to the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 2014 and established the Tata Centre for Technology and Design (TCTD). This was the largest donation ever received in the history of the institute (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
-Tata Trusts also provided a grant of Rs 750 million to the Neuroscience Centre, Indian Institute of Science to study the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and develop methods for early diagnosis and treatment (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
-The Tata Group also established the MIT Tata Centre of Technology and Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to address the challenges of resource-constrained communities, with an initial focus on India (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
Ratan Tata Wife: Ratan Tata’s wife
Ratan Tata said in 2011, “I came close to getting married four times, but each time I backed out due to fear or for some reason or the other.”
While working in Los Angeles, he fell in love with a girl and had to return to India because a member of his family was ill. The girl’s parents did not allow him to go to India. Tata remained firm on his commitment and remained unmarried throughout his life (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
Ratan Tata Awards: Awards received by Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata was awarded many notable awards and honors. Some of them are mentioned below:
Year Name of Awarding Organization
2000 Padma Bhushan Government of India
2008 Padma Vibhushan Government of India
2001 Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Ohio State University
2004 Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Government of Uruguay
2004 Honorary Doctor of Technology Asian Institute of Technology
2005 International Distinguished Achievement Award B’nai B’rith International
2005 Honorary Doctor of Science University of Warwick.
2006 Honorary Doctor of Science Indian Institute of Technology Madras
2006 Responsible Capitalism Award For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST)
2007 Honorary Fellowship London School of Economics and Political Science
2007 Carnegie Philanthropy Medal Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
2008 Honorary Doctor of Law University of Cambridge
2008 Honorary Doctor of Science Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
2008 Honorary Doctor of Science Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
2008 Honorary Citizen Award Government of Singapore
2008 Honorary Fellowship Institution of Engineering and Technology
2008 Inspired Leadership Award Performance Theatre
2009 Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) Queen Elizabeth II
2009 Lifetime Contribution to Engineering Award for 2008 Indian National Academy of Engineering
2009 Order of the Italian Republic Grand Officer of the Order of Merit Government of Italy
2010 Honorary Doctor of Laws University of Cambridge
2010 Hadrian Prize World Monuments Fund
2010 Oslo Business for Peace Prize Business for Peace Foundation
2010 Legend in Leadership Award Yale University
2010 Honorary Doctor of Laws Pepperdine University
2010 Business for Peace Prize Business for Peace Foundation
2010 Business Leader of the Year Asian Prize
2012 Honorary Fellow Royal Academy of Engineering
2012 Honorary Doctor of Business University of New South Wales
2012 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun Government of Japan
2013 Foreign Associate National Academy of Engineering
2013 Transformational Leader of the Decade Indian Affairs India Leadership Summit 2013
2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Lifetime Achievement Ernst & Young
2013 Honorary Doctor of Business Practice Carnegie Mellon University
2014 Honorary Doctor of Business Singapore Management University
2014 Sayaji Ratna Puraskar Baroda Management Association
2014 Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) Queen Elizabeth II
2014 Honorary Doctor of Laws York University, Canada
2015 Honorary Doctor of Automotive Engineering Clemson University
2015 Sayaji Ratna Puraskar Baroda Management Association, Honoris Causa, HEC Paris
2016 Commander of the Legion of Honor Government of France
2018 Honorary Doctorate Swansea University
2021 Assam Baibhav Government of Assam
Ratan Tata Family Tree: Ratan Tata Family Tree
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata- Founder of India’s largest conglomerate company Tata Group. He was married to Hirabai Daboo.
-Dorabji Tata- Elder son of Jamsetji Tata and second chairman of Tata Group. His wife was Meherbai Tata, maternal aunt of the famous nuclear scientist Homi J. Bhabha.
-Ratanji Tata- Younger son of Jamsetji Tata. He was a pioneer of poverty studies. He was married to Navajbai Tata. His wife adopted an orphan, Naval, who was Hirabai Tata’s grandson, and raised him as her own son (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
-Naval Tata- Adopted son of Navajbai Tata. His biological father was Hormusji Tata. His maternal grandmother was Hirabai Tata’s sister. Director in several Tata companies, ILO member and Padma Bhushan awardee, Naval Tata had three sons from two marriages – Ratan Tata (5th chairman of Tata Group), Jimmy Tata and Noel Tata (Chairman of Trent Ltd) (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
-Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata- He was one of the early stalwarts to serve the Tata Group. His father was Dadabhoy and his mother was Jamsetji Tata, Jeevanbai, siblings. He married Suzanne Briere and the couple had five children, including JRD (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO)
JRD Tata- He served as the fourth chairman of the Tata Group. He is the founder of Tata Airlines (later Air India).
-Cilla Tata- JRD Tata’s elder sister was married to Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, the founder of the first textile mill in India. His sister-in-law Ratanbai Petit was married to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah’s only child, Dina Jinnah, was married to Neville Ness Wadia (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
Ratan Tata Death: Big Losse of Nation
Ratan Tata was admitted to Mumbai’s famous Breach Candy Hospital for the past few days due to age-related illnesses. A team of specialist doctors was treating him, however, he breathed his last on the night of October 9, 2024. Many eminent leaders and industrialists including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have condoled his death (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
Ratan Tata : The TATA Group
Tata has two main trusts – Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust. These two trusts together hold about 52 percent stake in Tata Sons, the parent company of the Tata Group. Tata Sons operates the Tata Group companies. This group handles portfolios ranging from aviation to FMCC (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
Ratan Tata did not appoint a successor. In such a situation, a chairman will be elected from among his trust trustees. Tata Group has two main trusts – Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust. Both these trusts jointly have about 52 percent stake in Tata Group’s parent company Tata Sons. Tata Sons operates the companies of Tata Group. This group handles portfolios ranging from aviation to FMCC.
There are a total of 13 trustees in both the trusts. These people are trustees in both the trusts. These include former Defense Secretary Vijay Singh, automobile sector veteran Venu Srinivasan, Ratan Tata’s step brother and Trent Chairman Noel Tata, businessman Mehli Mistry and lawyer Darius Khambatta (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
Others involved in these trusts are former Citi India CEO Parmeet Jhaveri, trustee of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Ratan Tata’s younger brother Jimmy Tata and Jehangir Hospital CEO Jehangir HC Jehangir are trustees of Sir Ratan Tata Trust (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
The head of the Tata Trust is elected on the basis of majority among the trustees. Vijay Singh and Venu Srinivas are the vice-presidents of both these trusts. But the chances of any one of them being elected as the head are relatively low. The person who is most likely to be made the head of the Tata Trust is 67-year-old Noel Tata. The Parsi community will also be happy with Noel’s appointment. Ratan Tata was a Parsi. This will also ensure that a Parsi leads this organization. This trust had donated more than Rs 470 crore in the financial year 2023 (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
It is also a historical fact that only Parsis have taken charge of the Tata Trust. However, some did not have Tata in their names and they had no direct relationship with the founding family of the trust. If Noel Tata is elected the head of these trusts, he will become the 11th chairman of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the sixth chairman of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.
Noel has been associated with the Tata Group for more than four decades. He is on the boards of six major companies including Trent, Titan and Tata Steel. He was appointed a trustee of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust in 2019. He was included in the board of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust in 2022 (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
After Tata’s term was over, it was believed that he would take over the post of Chairman of Tata Sons. But Noel’s brother-in-law Cyrus Mistry was made the chairman. After Cyrus Mistry was removed from Tata Sons, TCS CEO N Chandrasekaran took over the reins of the Chairman of Tata Sons. Noel and Ratan Tata were never seen together. Both of them kept a distance between themselves. However, in the last days of Ratan Tata, his relationship with his step brother had become quite cordial (RATAN TATA – Antim Vidai – MY HEERO…NATIONAL HEERO).
Why did Ratan Tata pass away?
Ratan Tata died at a Mumbai hospital late on Wednesday (October 9, 2024). The chairman emeritus of the Tata group was 86. Tata was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai on Monday (October 7, 2024) owing to age-related issues, and to control his blood pressure.
What was Ratan Tata known for?
He was famed for transforming Tata Group into India’s largest conglomerate. He led notable acquisitions, launched Tata Nano and Indica cars, and contributed significantly through philanthropic activities.
Why didn’t Ratan Tata get married?
Billionaire Ratan Tata disclosed he nearly married four times but opted out each time due to fear, saying that avoiding the commitments may have been wise.
Who takes over after Ratan Tata?
Among the next generation of Tata heirs are Leah, Maya, and Neville Tata, the children of Noel Naval Tata, Ratan Tata’s half-brother. These young leaders have been quietly rising through the ranks of the Tata Group, preparing to take on key roles in the conglomerate, which spans industries from salt to software.
Who replaces Ratan Tata?
The Tata Group has already established a succession plan. N Chandrasekaran became chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company, in 2017. Other family members are also leading various divisions of the business and are expected to assume leadership roles in the future.
