Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran was honoured with the Business Icon Of The Year award at the BT Best CEO Awards and felicitated by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and India Today Group Chairman Aroon Purie
Natarajan Chandrasekaran’s story at the top of the Tata group began as a surprise appointment in February 2017 following one of corporate India’s biggest scraps - a boardroom battle that saw erstwhile chairman Cyrus Mistry (since deceased) being ousted followed by an acrimonious court battle and slanging matches. The markets were jittery, and the group’s direction seemed unsure. But Chandrasekaran, once appointed and settled, changed it all
Revenues of the Tata group’s listed companies have increased by more than 7 per cent annually (CAGR) between FY17 (Rs 6.09 lakh crore) and FY22 (Rs 8.61 lakh crore) and the market cap of its listed companies has jumped nearly 149 per cent - from Rs 8.28 lakh crore on March 31, 2017 to Rs 20.60 lakh crore on March 31, 2023 - after N Chandrasekaran took over
“The increase in the group’s market capitalisation since he took over is a testimony to the strategic transformation Chandra has led,” said EY India CEO Rajiv Memani
In an exclusive interview with Business Today magazine, N Chandrasekaran spoke humbly about leading the $128-billion conglomerate. He said, “I am still growing into [the job] and I don’t think I will [ever] fully grow into it.. It is a journey and I consider myself fortunate to be here.”
Tata Sons Chairman highlighted how the various Tata group companies, such as Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Air India, super app Tata Neu and more, have grown and transformed to suit future prospects
Speaking about N Chandrasekaran, Deepak Parekh said, “The mark of a good leader is one that leads from the front‚ and one that takes both the bouquets and brickbats with the same composure. That’s Chandra for you.”
N Chandrasekaran told BT, “Air India is more than a business. We will have to do it with discipline—it should be a business that is viable, profitable and cash generating. At the same time, we have to remember, there is a huge focus on the customer… Our goal is to make it a really world-class brand and at the end of the day, only time will tell. Our sincere effort is to create a great experience.”
Speaking about the Tata Sons Chairman, Bain Capital Advisors (India) Chairperson Amit Chandra said, “Chandra is a great combination of a marathon runner and a chess grandmaster... He does not play for the short term. His moves are carefully thought through and strategic.”
“It is okay to fail, and the only time you won’t fail is when you don’t do anything. Fall, but have the energy to get up and run again,” said N Chandrasekaran. That’s the kind of touch and calming influence that will be critical to the Tata group as the world of business goes through one of the most disruptive phases ever seen