Ratan Tata planning to retire in 2012 – successor wanted

Ratan Tata planning to retire in 2012 – successor wantedTata Sons Ltd have announced that they will actively be looking for a successor to the throne of company chairman Ratan Tata. Ratan, 72, has once said that he wouldn’t want to go out of the company in a wheelchair, and has arranged to retire at the end of 2012. Hot on the lips of everyone is his possible successor, a position to be decided by a five member committee.

Ratan, who never married, has no children. Indian media have speculated that Noel N. Tata, Ratan’s half-brother and son in law of Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry, who also happens to be the largest shareholder of the company, may be the man groomed for the job. Noel will join Tata International Ltd, the group’s overseas unit, as MD after stepping down from the same post at retail arm Trent Ltd.

The successful candidate will control a huge conglomerate that has 96 companies making cars from the $72,500 Jaguar XJ to the $2,500 Nano, producing steel and growing tea, among other things. The company creates revenue of over $70 billion and accounts for almost 7% of India’s gross domestic profit. Ratan, who is a Cornell University-trained architect, took the hot seat in 1991 and charted Tata’s growth via at least 35 overseas acquisitions, including steelmaker Corus Group Plc and Jaguar Land Rover.

It’s never easy when a family empire passes from one generation to another. Let’s hope that this one goes smoothly!

Source

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Jacob Alexander

Jacob Mathew Alexander has been a motoring nut for as far as he can remember and has recently turned his passion into writing. After spending some time in the same industry in the UK, Jacob's work is from a slightly different perspective.

 

Comments

  • tokan on Aug 10, 2010 at 2:09 pm

    people from Malaysia can replace him coz so many ‘bijak pandai’ who always bash proton

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    • motorist on Aug 10, 2010 at 5:04 pm

      We’ll stop bashing Proton when it has a revenue of over USD70 Billion and account for 7% of the GDP, just like Tata

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      • nazri on Aug 10, 2010 at 9:12 pm

        i think they never stop lah.. unless if p2 make own car then basher will switch their basher.

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      • mr_3m on Aug 10, 2010 at 11:13 pm

        spot on, motorist!!

        btw, tokan… if mr tata sees or knows how proton is run, he would probably bash Proton himself…. plus that’s why Proton never grown into a company like Tata…
        because Proton never accepts criticism from others… say anything bad to Proton, it’s called bashing… how sad!!!

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        • Ash Menon on Aug 11, 2010 at 8:15 pm

          I completely agree. Having relatives in India, I’ve heard many stories about Ratan welcoming the harshest of criticism as opportunity to grow. In fact, he started out doing manual labor in the steel mill (the Tata family believes that one should understand what it’s like on all levels of the business, and of the world, before taking a management position). While I really think Proton has the potential to grow and do better, being more open and admitting to their faults will go a long way.

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  • Good luck Tata!

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  • nabill on Aug 10, 2010 at 2:44 pm

    hahaha , not married,no wonder hes so successful !

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    • Sean ZX10 on Aug 11, 2010 at 4:13 pm

      not married but many “spare parts / aftermarket parts” to keep him happy…hahah

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  • Gajen on Aug 10, 2010 at 4:03 pm

    more than 2 decades working as ceo…outstanding

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    • Vincent on Aug 10, 2010 at 6:32 pm

      Great good to make a people car for people…. tata nato make those mocycle owner to afford a car… not need to worry about rain anymore…

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  • danny on Aug 10, 2010 at 4:31 pm

    its already in the name “ra-tan”….. mr paul-tan is the successor :-)

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  • cordoba1 on Aug 10, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    I always make it a point to ask taxi drivers whenever I am abroad what do they think of their politicians and business leaders. I dare say if you ask any Mumbai taxi driver that can speak English, they will heap praises on Ratan Tata. Tata Group is well respected by the masses not because it is one of India’s top business groups but because it has donated vast amounts of money to schools, orphanages and other charitable causes. On the contrary, if you ask any taxi driver about the feuding Indian billionaire brothers and their mother who is caught in between, nothing positive can be said about them as these 2 brothers believe their wealth is meant for their own enjoyment only.

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  • Anti Proton on Aug 10, 2010 at 10:58 pm

    call me ratan!

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  • I would like to nominate Tengku Mahalel….

    *** as instructed from the Board of BMW and Daimler ***

    hehehe….

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  • paultan fan on Aug 11, 2010 at 11:35 pm

    “The company creates revenue of over $70 billion and accounts for almost 7% of India’s gross domestic profit”.

    USD 70, 000, 000, 000. 00 or more than RM 220, 000, 000, 000. 00 a year and accound almost 7 % of India GDP. 10 times biggest than Sime Darby, FELDA, Maybank, TNB, CIMB, UEM Group and etc. And at par with Petronas which is main contributer to Malaysia REVENUE (ALMOST 50% contribute to GDP). Imagine how Tata can make the company so so so big?

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  • will-kill-for-exclusivity on Aug 12, 2010 at 2:13 am

    Mr. Ratan Tata please adopt me.

    I will prove to be a worthy son

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  • Ravi gill on Nov 13, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    Can I md in your company, pls select me.

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