Ratan Tata is the chairman of the Tata Group, India's largest corporation. He is the latest in a long line of Tatas to head the family-owned company. Ratan has revolutionized the company by focusing on high-tech products. He increased the international profile of the company by buying recognized brands. Tata is single and leads a modest lifestyle in his bachelor apartment.
Tata was born in Bombay in 1937. He received a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from America’s Cornell University in 1962 and briefly worked as an architect in California. He returned to India and joined the Tata Group. In 1971 he was appointed director of the radio and electronics division. Tata worked his way up to become chairman of Tata Industries in 1981.
Tata spent the 1980s transforming and modernizing the company. He branched out into business consultancy and high technology enterprises. His success elevated him to overall chairman of the Tata group. He did away with the old styles of management and recruited an army of eager, technology-savvy managers. The Tata Group is now the biggest on the Indian Stock Market.
Ratan Tata is now setting about making Tata an internationally recognized brand. Tata Motors is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and bought the luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover. He stunned the world by creating the Tata Nano – a car selling for less than $2,500. In 2007, he was listed among the 25 most powerful people in world business by ‘Fortune’ magazine.