I Admire

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: I admire, the chairman of the Tata Group Ratan Tata, an entrepreneur par excellence, leader, philanthropist, and a man with the ability to constantly evolve with changing market dynamics.

The latest phenomenon to hit the world markets — Nano — has taken the auto industry by storm and bears testimony to Tata’s sharp business acumen, his foresight, vision and his solid leadership. Tata Motors, which is today India’s biggest indigenous vehicle-maker, has caused the world to sit up and take close note as he launched the world’s cheapest car — something that promises the thrill of a

four-wheeler to millions of Indians hitherto isolated from the market.

The project has undoubtedly been one that has had more than its fair share of setbacks, but in spite of it he remained unscathed and continued to look for alternatives. In October last year, Tata Motors abandoned the $292m factory that it had built in Singur, West Bengal to make the Nano. Violent protests by farmers, stirred by local politicians over the state’s forced purchase of their land for the 1,000-acre site had left Tata with one of choices — buy the protesters off or walk away. After much deliberation and despite much criticism, he took a bold move and decided to move to Gujarat. Today, he has managed to turn this around into a successful manufacturing plant and Tata Motors expects demand for the Nano to reach one million units in a year’s time.

Flashback to early 2007, when Ratan Tata pulled off yet another coup – his acquisition of Corus, a steelmaker nearly four times the size of Tata Steel. While the decision was regarded by some as a risky move, he has worked this to his advantage, and the duo is now the fifth largest producer of steel in the world. He has slowly but surely defied every textbook construct of successful venturing and made the impossible, the possible, simply with a change in perspective.

A closer look into the Tata’s global empire makes one realise that while this visionary leadership has helped to expand his business worldover, his core focus remains firmly planted on his home turf, India. The name ‘Tata’ inspires with an instant feeling of pride and patriotism in every Indian. Its philosophy and guiding principle has indeed changed the lives of all those touched by it.