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Ratan Tata is a successful Indian entrepreneur and charismatic businessman whose leadership style and bold decisions helped the Tata group to revolutionize the Indian automobile and IT markets.
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Ratan Tata: A Business Mastermind The Chairman of Tata Group and Tata Sons is one of the most renowned and revered entrepreneurs In India. He is also a philanthropist who has invested more than 65% of this share in the company in charity. With his human development projects, he raised the standard of living for Indians. He heads one of the biggest conglomerates of the country comprising of 100 firms. His net worth is estimated at $1 billion. The Beginning of a Journey Ratan Tata was born in Mumbai on December 28, 1937, in an affluent family. Jamshedji Tata, his great grandfather, was a renowned businessman who founded the Tata group. As a young child, Ratan Tata faced conflict in his life as his parents went through a divorce. Lady Navajbai, his grandmother, raised him in the luxurious comfort of Tata Palace. Although today he lives a life of a modest person, his childhood was spent in luxury. A retinue of 50 servants attended to him and he used to attend school in a Rolls-Royce. He completed his primary education from the Campion School and the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. He later attended Bishop Cotton School in Shimla. He always dreamed of studying in the USA, and he realized it by attending Cornell University, where he studied architecture and structural engineering. He later went to Harvard for his management course. Thus began the journey of one of the most successful entrepreneurs In India. Ratan Tata joined the Tata Group in 1962 and began his work in Jamshedpur with the Tata Steel division. There he managed blue-collar workers and worked alongside them, working on the furnace and shoveling stone. In 1971, he became the Director-in-charge of Nelco and managed to turn the company around while it was going through a bad time. In 1991, he became the chairman of Tata Sons, after JRD Tata stepped down. The Renaissance Man Ratan Tata later became the Chairman of Tata Industries where he brought about some major changes. One of the best young entrepreneurs In India at that time, Ratan Tata managed to take this company to new heights. Tata Consultancy Services, one of the foremost IT companies of India went public under his leadership and for the first time, Tata Motors found its way into the New York Stock Exchange, which made it an internationally recognized company. He was also responsible for securing the bid for the Land Rover and Jaguar brands from the American automobile giant Ford. India's first domestically manufactured car Indica found its way into the market during his time. This car was Ratan Tata's contrivance and sold like hot cakes in the Indian market. Tetley, the well-known tea firm, was acquired by Tata in 2000 for a total value of 70 million GBP. In the financial year, 2009-10 Tata managed to improve its revenue by nearly 12 times, earning a total of $67.4 billion.
Alcoa and Fiat Spa have Ratan Tata as one of their board members. He is on the international advisory board of several companies including the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Temasek Holdings, Rolls Royce, JP Morgan Chase, and Mitsubishi Corporation. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India, in the year 2000. The Ohio State University conferred an honorary doctorate in business administration on Ratan Tata, while the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok followed suit with an honorary doctorate in science. Obstacles Faced In 2008, after acquiring Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Group faced a major financial crisis after the Jaguar Land Rover fiasco. Tata took a $3 billion loan to acquire JLR but was not able to pay it back in full. They only managed to pay back $1 billion. They got into all kinds of trouble raising money for the acquisition. This left Tata with negative capital and they faced a cash liquidity problem. The situation was so dire that Ratan Tata considered merging with other companies, but in the end, he was able to sort the issue out and lead his company out of dire straits. His ability to survive through tough times is why he is considered among the top 10 entrepreneur In India. A Generous Heart Over 66% of the Tata Group is dedicated to charitable trusts that collect money for good causes. In the terrorist attack on 26/11, Ratan Tata, one of the most successful entrepreneurs In India showed his generosity. He personally went to the Taj hotel and did his part to aid the victims. He provided relief for the families of the victims and personally reached out to them asking if they needed anything from him. Ratan Tata is not only one of the greatest Indian businessmen of all time, but he is a person with a heart of gold who is loved and respected by everyone.