To facilitate better functioning and a common approach across the organisation, the Tata Steel group, which now comprises Thailand?s NatSteel Asia and Anglo-Dutch steel maker Corus Group apart from homegrown Tata Steel, has announced a reorganisation of its management structure.

The new structure is primarily created to help the company derive synergies from its global operations and realise its goal of becoming a leading player in the international steel industry.

The redesigned structure, which comes into effect from January 1, 2008, will have a central body to create uniformity in the group?s systems and processes and develop a common platform for all crucial functions. The functions that will fall under the control of the centre are technology & integration, finance, strategy, corporate relations and communications, as well as global minerals.

A joint executive committee for the entire group will also meet every quarter to review overall performance against goals, Tata Steel said in a media release.

Tata Steel and Corus Group will each have an executive committee, chaired respectively by Tata Steel managing director B Muthuraman and Corus Group CEO Philippe Varin.Each of the group functions will be headed by executives who will report to Muthuraman or Varin.

The team of executives entrusted with key tasks are: Tridibesh Mukherjee, who will be group director, technology & integration; Koushik Chatterjee, who has been appointed group CFO; Jean-Sebastien Jacques, group director, strategy; Manzer Hussain, in charge of communications as group director; and Arun D Baijal, group director, global minerals.

The first three are already on the strategy & integration committee chaired by Tata Steel chairman Ratan Tata. The others members of this chairman-led committee are Jim Leng, Muthuraman, Varin, Rauke Henstra and Hemant Nerurkar. According to a Mumbai-based analyst, ?The move by Tata Steel is an effective way to manage things without initiating a formal and complicated merger.?

Tata Steel stock was down 3.41% on the BSE to close at Rs 818.70 on Wednesday.