Industry body CII's Chief Mentor Tarun Das has stepped down after 35 years of his association with the apex business chamber.
Das, 70, assumed the role of the Chief Mentor of the Confederation of Indian Industry in 2004 after steering it for 26 years as its Director General.
"Under Tarun's leadership, CII has been instrumental in managing and initiating changes that shaped the socio-economic environment of the country over several decades," CII President Venu Srinivasan said in a statement here.
Das, known for his pro-active role in influencing the government policies on a host of issues, said, "My focus as Chief Mentor was to facilitate an effective change process (within the chamber)".
While Chandrajit Banerjee succeeded Das as the Director General of the chamber, Das kept guiding the CII during the last five years.
Das would now spend most of his time on international relationship building and matters related to domestic development, the statement said.
During his long tenure, CII forged international tie-ups, including with the Geneva-based World Economic Forum.