Staying The Family Course

Ratan Tata did not actually come from a poor family. Born in 1937, he went on to study at Cornell University earning an architecture degree in structural engineering. He had the advantage of being a member of the Tata family which owned the largest industrial business in India. 

While many members of prominent families have not made the most of their high status in life, Ratan stayed the course and made his own contributions to make the Tata group of companies grow even bigger. Joining the family business in 1962, he held key positions in many of the companies.  He then became Chairman of Tata Industries in 1981. There he changed the orientation of the holding company making it a group strategy think-tank, and also started ventures in the area of high technology. 

In 1991 he became the Chairman of Tata Sons the holding company that basically oversees the Tata businesses. Other chairmanships include Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Power, Tata Global Beverages, and others.  He has become over the years a well-respected businessman and a giant figure in Indian business and society. 

He guided the Tata group into a more outward looking company, with a good size of its profit now coming outside of India. One of his notable international business moves was acquiring Jaguar Land Rover from Ford Motors.  He is also behind the creation of the well-know Nano car, India’s answer to the fuel crisis. His skills and reputation cover the international arena, being advisory board member of such global companies as Mitsubishi and JP Morgan as well as the Monetary Authority of Singapore. 

Following the footsteps of other prominent Tata family members, he has made his own contributions that have impacted both India and the global market.