Newsmaker: Venkataramani Sumantran

The elusive executive

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Venkataramani Sumantran, 43, who is nearing the close of his tenure in Tata Motors as executive director of the passenger car business unit and engineering research centre, is evasive.

When BS finally got in touch with him after several attempts, he spoke on the condition that he would not discuss his "transitory phase".

"I have had a very good time (with Tata Motors)... I do not want any misinterpretation," he said, right after the greetings. True to character, his manner was mild, and yet firm. "In a couple of weeks, I will be in a better position to discuss all this," he said.

The low-profile engineer made headlines this week with his decision to step down from his post "" a decision that came close on the heels of Ravi Kant being appointed the managing director of the company.

Sumantran's decision to quit assumes extra significance, since he was widely understood to be closely involved in the company's project to roll out a car costing just Rs 1 lakh.

Since the Tata Group Chairman Rata Tata promised to deliver this dream to fellow Indians some two years back, Sumantran had been in the spotlight, no matter how much he avoided it.

Interestingly, Sumantran's resignation did not surprise many in the industry. A senior automobile executive, who claims proximity to the doctor, said "Most of us knew this will happen at least a week prior to it becoming public." So what if it is a million-car market, the automobile industry is still a small world.

News here travel fast, and heartburn even faster. The elevation of Ravi Kant to the post of managing director at Tata Motors, some say, touched a raw nerve in Sumantran.

Insiders say Sumantran had a good reason to believe that he stood a good chance of making it to the top job. While sales figures in the coming years will judge the wisdom of elevating Kant to the post, it was also a choice between the best among equals.

Kant's track record, both within and outside Tata Motors, particularly his ability to improve the company's global foot print, backed by success in the commercial vehicle segment, held him in better stead.

When numbers are all that matter in the dog-eat-dog world of automobiles, there could hardly have been any greater dilemma in the minds of those who made that choice.

Sumantran completed his schooling in Chennai. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai in 1981.

He went to the United States to pursue graduation in aerospace engineering, topping it with a doctorate degree in aerodynamics from Virginia Tech University in 1985. He also holds a master's degree in Management of Technology from Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute.

Sumantran was with the General Motors in the United States for over 15 years. Before joining the Tatas, Sumantran was on an assignment of SAAB Automobile in Sweden, where he had been the director for advanced engineering.

Sumantran might be history in the Tata Group, but a couple of pertinent questions remain unanswered. Since the man himself is unwilling to answer these questions, it will have to be left to guesses and estimates.

What happens to the Rs 1 lakh car from the Tatas? Recent media bites that came from the Tata Group indicate that the project is on track. It is probably just a matter of couple of years when Ratan Tata will be seen posing with a shiny new dream car that will see him and his company become part of history.

What goes within the walls of the engineering research centre might be a best kept corporate secret. But, those who have had an opportunity to have more than a peek preview say the project has reached a stage where it can go on its own. A different head may not make much of a difference.