Ratan Tata reign ends; Cyrus Mistry to succeed

28 Dec 2012 Evaluate

Ratan Tata, who led the magical transformation of the Tata group from a conventional corporate house into a $100 billion empire with high-profile acquisitions abroad, 50-year tenure in one of India's centric business conglomerate, finally comes to an end on December 28, 2012. Tata, however, will serve as honorary chairman emeritus and remain chairman of the various Tata trusts.

Tata, who turns 75 on Friday, will hand over the massive responsibility of the group to 44-year-old Cyrus Mistry, who was chosen his successor in 2011 and has been formally appointed Chairman earlier in December. Mistry had joined the Tata group in 2006 as a director and has held non-executive positions on boards of several other Tata companies earlier. The five-member search committee set up in August 2010 to select the chairman of the group, finalized Mistry from a reported shortlist of five.

In the more than two decades at the helm, the Cornell-educated Tata not only consolidated the group's business in domestic markets but also expanded it globally, acquiring assets, diversifying businesses and forging new linkages. He has spearheaded the acquisition of overseas companies such as Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover and Corus. Ratan Tata not only leaves behind a $100-billion empire which grew by 13-fold in the 21 years at its helm but also a legacy that earned him wide praise as an able corporate leader with values.

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