New Delhi: On October 15, 2001, Ratan Tata had planted a Tabebuia Rosea sapling at the Infosys campus in Bengaluru. Today that tree stands tall as a symbol of growth and shared purpose. Infosys recently uploaded visuals of the matured tree as it pays its respects to the legacy left behind by Tata. “His legacy inspires us to pursue growth and innovation in moving the world forward together. It is a poignant tribute at the passing of Tata on October 9, 2023, aged 86, when he was unwell for some time. Several of these tributes came from as many people, one being Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, who described Tata not only as his moral guide but also close friend, whose value based leadership had a deep imprint on him. Sudha Murthy remembered the integrity and kindness of Tata to say that his passing marked the end of an era.
Ratan Tata’s tenure was, in a way, a transformational period for the entity. Coming off the back of 1991, when he had just become chairman, India was experiencing several economic crises, and Tata Group companies were pretty much independent units. The vision was very clear – turn the group into a global powerhouse. A significant landmark was in 2007, when Tata Steel acquired Corus for $12 billion, one of the largest international deals by an Indian company. It was, indeed, a bold move that sought to make the group one of the global players.
Under his leadership, the Tata Group ventured into new areas like electric vehicles and semiconductors, and even civil aviation. He wasn’t squeamish about making tough decisions-extraordinarily selling businesses where progress was little and integrated the group of nearly independent kingdoms under powerful executives, or ‘satraps.’ His initiatives not only made the company leaner but also coalesced it into a strong, single brand.
Acquisitions like Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley Tea underlined his emphasis on global growth. That at least underlined how Indian businesses were perceived internationally, for all that he did come across some significant potholes in his journey. The Tata Indica did stall, and the Nano project did not quite meet its commercial expectations.
