Ratan Tata is the former chairman of Tata Group, one of India's largest conglomerates. He was born in 1937 and took over as chairman of Tata Sons in 1991. Under his leadership, Tata Group's revenues grew manifold as he expanded the company globally through acquisitions like Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus. Ratan Tata is renowned for his visionary leadership and transforming Tata into a global business. He retired as chairman in 2012 but remains involved through his roles as chairman emeritus of Tata Sons and various boards.

1. RATAN TATA- A BORN LEADER
Born: December 28, 1937
Achievement: Honored with Padma Bhushan, one of the highest
Civilian awards in 2000.
Present Chairman OF TATA Group
He taken TATA Group to new heights and under his Leadership, Group’s revenues
have grown manifold.
Early life
Ratan Tata is the son of Naval Tata, who had been adopted from the family of a
distant relative by Navajbai Tata after the death of her husband, Ratanji Tata. Ratan
Tata's parents Naval and Sonoo separated in the mid-1940s when Ratan was ten and
his younger brother, Jimmy, was seven years old. Both he and his brother were raised
by their grandmother Navajbai Tata. Ratan also has a step brother Noel Tata from
Naval Tata's second marriage to Simone Tata.Ratan began his schooling in Mumbai
at the Campion School and finished his secondary education at the Cathedral and
John Connon School. He completed his B.S.in architecture with structural
engineering from Cornell University in 1962, and the Advanced Management
Program from Harvard Business School in 1975. Tata is a member of the Alpha
Sigma Phi fraternity.
Career
Tata began his career in the Tata group in 1961. He initially started on the shop floor
of Tata Steel, shovelling limestone and handling the blast furnace. In 1991, J. R. D.
Tata stepped down as Chairman of Tata Sons, naming Ratan as his successor.
Under his stewardship, Tata Tea acquired Tetley, Tata Motors acquired Jaguar Land
Rover and Tata Steel acquired Corus, which have turned Tata from a largely India-
centric company into a global business, with 65% revenues coming from abroad. He
was instrumental in the development of Tata Nano, largely dubbed as the world's
cheapest passenger car.
Ratan Tata retired from all executive responsibility in the Tata group on 28
December 2012 which is also his 75th birthday and he was succeeded by Cyrus
Mistry, the 44-year-old son of Pallonji Mistry and managing director of Shapoorji
Pallonji Group.
Ratan Tata has retired but he is still seen working. Recently, he invested his personal
savings in Snapdeal- one of India's leading e-commerce website. Another company
that caught his interest is BlueStone. Mr Tata is working closely with Jaguar Land

2. Rover and some of the new models launched by the British marquee have several
inputs from Mr Tata.
Board Memberships and Affiliations
He is currently the chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons. He continues to serve as the
chairman of the main two Tata trusts Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata
Trust and their allied Trusts, which together hold 66% of shares in the group holding
company Tata Sons.
Ratan Tata has served in various capacities in organizations in India and abroad. He
is a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry and the National
Manufacturing Competitiveness Council. He is on the jury panel of Pritzker
Architecture Prize– considered to be one of the world's premier architecture prizes.
Ratan Tata is a director on the boards of Alcoa Inc., Mondelelz International and
Board of Governors of the East-West Center. He is also a member of the Board of
Trustees of University of Southern California, Harvard Business School Board of
Dean's Advisors, X Prize and Cornell University.
Ratan Tata is also a member of the Harvard Business School India Advisory Board
(IAB) since 2006, and previously a member of the Harvard Business School Asia-
Pacific Advisory Board (APAB) 2001-2006.
Personality:
 Very dignified
 Ethical
 Dependable
 Believes in keeping promises
 Loyal and believes in relationship
 Questioning the unquestionable
 Risk taker not speculator
 Exemplary leadership qualities and a Motivator
SWOT Analysis of Ratan Tata:
Strength:
 Visionary
 Strategist
 Initiator
Weakness:
 Less Autocratic

3.  Successors
 Ownership
 Dependable
Opportunities:
 Adaptability
 Changing Champions
 Business Ethics
Threats:
 Perfectionists
 Question the unquestionable
Leadership Qualities:
 Visionary
 Passionate
 Creative
 Flexible
 Inspiring
 Innovative
 Courageous
 Imaginative
 Experimental
 Initiate change
 Personal Power
Leadership Style:
 Democratic
 According to path goal theory- Achievement style
Principles of TATA:
 Nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without deep thought and hard work.
 Good human relations not only bring great personal rewards but are essential
to the success of many enterprise.