3 Tata firms begin CEO search

The top slots at three Tata companies "" Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) "" will be up for grabs in two years with incumbents Ravi Kant, B Muthuraman and S Ramadorai due to retire in 2009.

Under the Tata group's policy, all executive directors must retire at 65 years and all non-executive directors at 75 years. Kant, Muthuraman and Ramadorai will turn 65 in 2009.

Industry sources said the group is in the process of identifying candidates for these top jobs. The three companies account for nearly 70 per cent of the group's global operations.

The appointments are expected to take place from within the group. A Tata group spokesperson said: "The group companies have holistically practised a very sound succession policy. An announcement will be made by the respective companies at an appropriate time."

Sources said a close look at recent developments indicated that the exercise to find successors for these three extremely successful CEOs is on. They said the creation of a new post of Chief Operating Officer (COO) by Tata Steel and TCS hinted at that direction.

"The COOs of Tata Steel and TCS and the only executive director of TCS are strong contenders for the top job at their respective companies," they added.

Last month, TCS appointed four new executive directors, including a COO. They are N Chandrasekaran, S Mahalingam, S Padmanabhan and P A Vandrevala.

Chandrasekaran, 44, has been appointed COO and Mahalingam, 59, continues as the chief financial officer. Chandrasekaran and Mahalingam are strong contenders for the top job, according to sources.

Last month, the group appointed Tata Motors' Executive Director Praveen Kadle managing director of its newly-formed financial services company Tata Capital. This makes the other executive director (commercial vehicles), P M Telang, 59, a strong contender for the top job.

Interestingly, Ravi Kant was executive director of the company's commercial vehicles business before he was elevated to managing director.

Similarly, Tata Steel appointed H M Nerurkar, 58, COO. He was vice-president (Kalinganagar Project and Technology).

The company has a young brigade of vice presidents including Koushik Chatterjee (38), handling a key portfolio like finance at a time when the company is on an acquisition spree, Anand Sen (47) in the flat products division. A D Baijal (59) heads the global mineral resources division.