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Success Story of Ratan Tata – The Man Who Built India

Last Updated : 22 Sep, 2023
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Ratan Tata is the chairman of the Tata Group, a conglomerate with interests in steel, automobiles, software, hospitality, and chemicals. He is one of the most respected and successful businessmen in India. He served as the chairman of Tata from the year 1990 to 2012. Heir of the Tata family Tata was born on 28 December 1937.

Name Ratan Naval Tata
Birthdate 28 December 1937
Hometown Surat, Gujarat
Title Chairman, Tata Sons, and Tata Group
Education B.Arch, Cornell University
Occupation Businessman, Investor, Philanthropist
Awards Assam Baibhav (2021),
Padma Vibhushan (2008),
Maharashtra Bhushan (2006),
Padma Bhushan (2000)

Ratan Tata’s Net Worth

Ratan Tats is also one of the richest men in the country, with a net worth of $1 billion. Ratan Tata was born into a wealthy family in Mumbai, and his father was the head of the Tata Group. 

Ratan Tata Education – Success Story of Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata studied at the prestigious Doon School and then at Cornell University in the United States. Let’s get to know more about Ratan Tata’s success story in this article. After his studies, he joined the Tata Group and eventually became its chairman. Under his leadership, the Tata Group has become one of the most successful conglomerates in India, with a turnover of $100 billion. The group has a presence in over 100 countries and employs over 700,000 people. 

Ratan Tata Assistant – Success Story of Ratan Tata

Shantanu Naidu, a 28-year-old youngster is known as the Assistant of Ratan Tata. He has also authored a book titled, ‘I Came Upon a Lighthouse: A Short Memoir of Life with Ratan Tata’. Although, he joined Tata as an Assistant, he now become a General Manager of Ratan Tata. He hold an MBA from Cornell University- Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Ratan Donation Worth – Success Story of Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata is also a philanthropist and has donated billions of dollars to charitable causes. Also, one of Tata’s major conglomerates Tata Trust made a donation of over $50 million to Harvard Business School and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) made the largest ever donation of $35 million by a company to Carnegie Mellon University. 

Background – Success Story of Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata is an Indian business magnate and philanthropist. He is the former chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, and is the current chairman of the Tata Trusts. He is also the chairman of Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, and Tata Global Beverages. He was born into the wealthy Tata family in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, and his father, Naval Tata, was the adopted son of Ratanji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group. Ratan Tata’s mother, Sooni, was the daughter of Dhanji Devshi and Jaiji.

Ratan Tata Early Career – Success Story of Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata began his career in the family business in 1962 and worked in various companies of the Tata Group in India and the United Kingdom, before becoming the chairman of Tata Sons in 1991. He was appointed as the chairman of Tata Motors in 1999, and Tata Steel in 2007. 

He remains the chairman of the Tata Trusts, which control 66% of the equity of the Tata Group. He has been awarded several honorary degrees, including the Légion d’Honneur and the Padma Bhushan. The honorary man has also received the Tata Lifetime Achievement Award and the Deming Application Prize.

Companies Owned by Tata Group – Success Story of Ratan Tata

Some of the major companies owned by Tata includes, TCS, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Communications, and Voltas. Under Tata’s leadership, the Tata Group acquired several companies, including Corus, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tetley. He also oversaw the development of the Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car. In 2016, Tata announced his retirement from active management of the Tata Group, and he was succeeded by Natarajan Chandrasekaran. 

In recent years, Ratan Tata has been involved in some of the Tata Group’s most high-profile acquisitions, including the purchase of Corus Group, a British steelmaker, and Jaguar Land Rover, a British luxury carmaker. In 2010, he founded the Tata Centre for Social Enterprise at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. Ratan Tata is widely respected in India and abroad, and he is frequently ranked among the world’s most influential businessmen.

Ratan Tata Ford Story – Success Story of Ratan Tata

The acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover: In 2008, Tata Motors acquired the luxury car brands Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for $2.3 billion. However, the global economic downturn hit the luxury car market hard, and Tata had to write down $1.6 billion as impairment charges on the Jaguar Land Rover acquisition. The acquisition was considerably a revenge following a humiliation by Ford officials in 1999.

Book Written by Ratan Tata – Success Story of Ratan Tata

The Wit and Wisdom of Ratan Tata and From Steel to Cellular are the books written by Ratan Tata.

Ratan Tata Car Collection – Success Story of Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata’s car collection includes, Ferrari California, Mercedes Benz S-Class, Cadillac XLR, Land Rover Freelander, Chrysler Sebring, Honda Civic, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes Benz 500 SL, Jaguar F-Type, Jaguar XF-R, and more.

Ratan Tata Awards & Accolades – Success Story of Ratan Tata

  • Ratan Tata is an Indian business magnate and former chairman of Tata Sons.
  • He was the chairman of Tata Motors from 1991 to 2016 and again from October 2016 to February 2017.
  • He is also the chairman of the Tata Group, which is a conglomerate of over 100 companies with revenues exceeding US$100 billion.
  • He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan (2001), the Padma Vibhushan (2008), and the Legion d’honneur (2010).
  • He was also the recipient of the Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
  • He is a trustee of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and the Tata Education and Development Trust.
  • He is also the chairman of two major Indian philanthropic organizations, the Tata Trusts and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.
  • He has been a vocal critic of corruption in the Indian government and has been involved in various philanthropic activities.
  • He has also served on the boards of several international organizations, including the World Economic Forum, the Brookings Institution, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • He is a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry and the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council.
  • He has been awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Confederation of Indian Industry.
  • He has been presented with the “Legend in Leadership Award” by the Yale School of Management.
  • He has been honored with the “Outstanding Achievement Award” by the London Business School.
  • He has been awarded the “Global Citizen Award” by the World Economic Forum.
  • He has been conferred the “Degree of Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa” by the University of Mumbai.
  • He has been awarded the “Degree of Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa” by the University of Oxford.
  • He has been awarded the “Degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa” by York University, Canada.

Challenges Faced by Ratan Tata – Success Story of Ratan Tata

Following are some of the challenges faced by Rata Tata:

  • The Nano Project: The Nano project was Ratan Tata’s dream project to create a low-cost car that would be affordable for the masses. However, the project ran into trouble from the very beginning.
  • The acquisition of Corus: In 2007, Ratan Tata made a bold move to acquire the Anglo-Dutch steel company Corus for $12.9 billion. However, the global financial crisis of 2008 hit the steel industry hard, and Tata had to write down $2.3 billion as impairment charges on the Corus acquisition.
  • The West Bengal Factory Protests: In 2008, Ratan Tata’s plans to build a Nano factory in West Bengal were met with violent protests by farmers who were unwilling to give up their land for the project. The factory was eventually built in Gujarat.
  • The failed merger with British Airways: In 2008, Tata Sons and British Airways announced a merger plan that would have created the world’s largest airline. However, the deal was ultimately scuttled by the UK government.
  • Ratan Tata, one of the most respected industrialists in India, has had challenges in recent years. The challenges started when he took over as the Chairman of the Tata Group in 1991. He was faced with the task of turning around the loss-making Tata Group. He was successful in turnaround the Tata Group and made it one of the most successful and respected business groups in India. However, the challenges for Ratan Tata did not end there. 
  • He was again faced with the task of reviving the ailing Tata Steel in the early 2000s. He was then faced with the task of growing the Tata Group in international markets. Ratan Tata then steered the group through some difficult times, including the economic downturn of the early 1990s and the global financial crisis of 2008. 
  • He has also had to deal with the challenges posed by the competitive Indian business environment, including intense rivalry from other conglomerates such as Reliance Industries. In recent years, Ratan Tata has also had to contend with a number of high-profile controversies, including the failed attempt to acquire Corus, the UK-based steelmaker, and the alleged spying scandal involving his successor, Cyrus Mistry. He is now facing the task of ensuring that the Tata Group remains a force to reckon with in the years to come.

Ratan Tata Quotes – Success Story of Ratan Tata

Following are some quotes by Ratan Tata:

  • “Business need to go beyond the interest of their companies to the communities they serve.”
  • “Take the stones people throw at you. And use them to build a monument.”
  • “Ups and downs in life are very important to keep us going because a straight line, even in an ECG. means we are not alive.”
  • “Power and wealth are not two of my main stakes.”
  • “I may have hurt some people along the way, but I would like to be seen as somebody who has done his best to do the right thing for any situation and not compromised.”


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