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The essence of trust and quality has been the Tata group of industries that have been functioning in India for over 150 years. The Tata group originated in 1839, but through the years, it has become a significant force that has impacted India’s industrial growth and the entire global market. After the death of Ratan Tata, now the Tata Trusts Chairman title was succeeded by Noel Tata, Ratan Tata’s half-brother.
Noel Naval Tata appointed as Chairman of all the Trusts that constitute the Tata Trusts and also designated Chairman, Tata Trusts.
— Tata Trusts (@tatatrusts) October 11, 2024
Press Release: https://t.co/C09mQJbt7T pic.twitter.com/bwCsTe3Uz0
A Legacy Rooted in History: The Tata Family Ancestry
The ancestors of the Tata family moved from Persia (current Iran) in the 8th century due to religious prosecutions that followed the Islamic invasion. They were of Zoroastrian ethnic stock—the emigrants from Iran who established themselves in India and are presently known as Parsis, ruling from the western state of Gujarat. They lived as a family in Navsari and shifted to Bombay in the late eighteenth century, where the seeds for their business empire were sown.
Formerly known as the Tata Group, the Tata dating back to 1868 was founded by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, who is considered to be the father of the Indian industry. But the boy from the trading house who owned more than dreams of wealth and business for Jamsetji was indeed farsighted. Sir Dorabji Tata and Sir Ratan Tata, his sons, continued his business. Still, unlike him, the new generation was much more aware of the social responsibilities of a large business house. They set up charitable trusts, which means that most of our wealth was plowed back into education, health, and the overall uplift of the community. This focus on the community has remained part of Tata’s corporate value proposition to this very day.
Ratan Tata’s Indelible Impact
Ratan Tata, son of Naval Tata and Soonoo Commissariat, is one of the most successful TATA group leaders in the company’s history. Lehman made the company a worldwide goliath, venturing its operations to more than a hundred nations. While heading the group, Tata Motors bought the famous car brands Jaguar and Land Rover, and Tata Steel acquired Corus Group, placing it among the world’s largest steel manufacturers. Ratan Tata was more focused on correcting his vision of expanding the Tata group into a global company with operations all over the world but also the vision for the company to embrace values of ethical leadership and philanthropic activities across the country.
After retirement, Ratan Tata also remained active across industries and promoted innovations through involvement with start-ups, social enterprises, or other charitable activities through the Tata Trusts holding his chairmanship. His recent demise has created a big vacuum, and now the leadership baton has been handed over to Noel Tata, his half-brother.
Noel Tata: Continuing the Legacy
Noel Tata, who completed 58 years in December 2015, is the son of Naval Tata and Simone Dunoyer, a French-Swiss businesswoman. Noel has a degree from Sussex University and an Executive Program certification from INSEAD and has joined Tata Trusts as its Chairman with exposure to the best practices from across the world.
Mr. We has more to offer in leadership roles as he has actively been associated with Tata Group as a Managing Director of Tata International and has managed growth at Trent Ltd. During his tenure, Trent’s retail business went up to more than 700 outlets, and Tata International’s revenues rose to $3 billion from $500 million. Looking at his experience, every company will attest to him being a global strategist par excellence, stepping into Tata with the best outlook to continue from where it is offered.
A Family Connected by Values
As much as Noel Tata came to the foreground when appointed to office, there is hardly anything to signify that the Tata family is no longer intertwined with common ideas of servitude, ethical practices, and corporate social responsibilities. Noel’s wife is Aloo Mistry, while Cyrus Mistry, another former Chairman of Tata Sons, was her brother. Neville, Maya, and Leah Tata are all involved in the Tata Group in some form or another to help groom the next generation of Tatas for the future of the company.
The Road Ahead
As Noel Tata is heading Tata Trusts and Natarajan Chandrasekaran remains the Chairman of Tata Sons, it can be said that the Tata Group is in safe hands. This paper discusses that Mr. Mukesh Ambani and Mr. Chandrasekaran are equally focused on generating growth while maintaining the ethical standards that the Tata Group hen founded and named after.
As the Tata Group moves to the next phase, leadership is changing, yet the ethos that has been nurtured in the Tata tradition is set to live on.
The group has brought in Noel Tata, a leader, to continue the business legacy of Tata while at the same time nurturing it to go to greater heights to ensure that the name ‘Tata’ remains synonymous with quality into the future.
