The Tata Sons’ chairman emeritus Ratan Tata passed away on Wednesday late night, October 9, at the age of 86.
“With deep sorrow, we mourn the passing of Mr. Ratan Naval Tata, an extraordinary individual whose life and legacy will always be a guiding light for Tata Consultancy Services. His wisdom, compassion, and commitment to uplifting the lives of millions, made him revered across the world,” said K Krithivasan, chief executive officer and managing director of TCS.
His remarkable leadership, marked by a unique blend of humility and confidence, guided TCS through transformative global expansions, with a deep sense of service to the communities we operate in and the values we cherish, he added.
Krithivasan added that Tata “had a rare gift for making those around him feel valued and heard, earning the admiration and respect of all who had the privilege of knowing him. His approach to leadership, paired with his genuine care for people, has left an indelible mark on every one of us. All my colleagues at TCS and I will remain forever inspired by him as we carry forward his vision.”
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Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and AlphabetRecounting his last meeting with Tata at Google on its self-driving car project, Pichai said Tata’s vision was inspiring to hear. “He leaves an extraordinary business and philanthropic legacy and was instrumental in mentoring and developing the modern business leadership in India. He deeply cared about making India better. Deep condolences to his loved ones and Rest in Peace Shri Ratan Tata Ji”
Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and co-chair Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
On social media platforms, Gates said, “Ratan Tata was a visionary leader whose dedication to improving lives left an indelible mark on India—and the world. I had the privilege of meeting him on several occasions, and I was always moved by his strong sense of purpose and service to humanity. Together, we partnered on numerous initiatives to help people lead healthier, more prosperous lives. His loss will be felt around the world for years to come, but I know the legacy he left and example he set will continue to inspire generations.”
Narayana Murthy, Infosys founder
TCS peer and India’s second largest IT firm Infosys founder Narayana Murthy said “Losing a dear friend like Ratan is very painful. Ratan was a role model for me in value-based leadership. He was indeed a moral compass for me whenever I had some ambiguity and confusion in ethical issues.”
C Vijayakumar, CEO, HCLTech
Calling Tata a “an iconic leader who shaped numerous industries” and “an extraordinary human being”, C Vijayakumar, posted on social media platform LinkedIn to pay tributes saying, “As a visionary, he has steered India onto the global stage, as a leader, he has set and exceeded benchmarks in ethical business and governance and as an extraordinary human being, he has led a life with compassion, humility and integrity.”
Tata under Ratan Tata
The Tata Group, under the chairmanship of Ratan Tata, established TCS in 1968 and won its first overseas project from an electric company in Iran in 1971. The information technology (IT) services major crossed $1 million in revenues within nine years of its foundation and a key milestone for the Tata group was the public listing of TCS in 2004, the first billion-dollar IPO in Indian history. The TCS listing was termed groundbreaking with Tata Sons diluting its stake by offering 14% of TCS’s equity shares.
A major deal bagged by TCS was a year after its IPO, when the Ministry of Corporate Affairs selected TCS to complete the e-governance project that allowed corporate filings to be completed over the web. Thus began the unique eight-digit number to be assigned to directors of all registered companies in India. Ratan Tata was the first businessman to get the unique Director Identification Number (DIN) as 00000001.
Today, TCS is the country’s largest IT company and the second most valued globally. It accounts almost half of Tata group’s valuation and about 90% of Tata Sons’ total profits. TCS returns over $4 billion in dividends every year. With five CEOs in its 56-year history, the Mumbai firm has grown almost 20-fold in annual revenues at $29.1 billion.
