Ratan Tata forms his 'A Team'

Veterans Prasad Menon, S Padmanabhan inducted; Mukund Rajan, Harish Bhat, Katragadda and Srinath also brought in

Within a week of removing Cyrus Mistry as chairman of Tata Sons, Interim Chairman Ratan Tata has started work on putting together his ‘A team’ by inducting former Tata Power managing director Prasad Menon as member - chairman's office and Tata Quality Management Services managing director S Padmanabhan as group human resources head.

Till January 2016, Menon was chairman of Air Vistara, a pet project of Tata. Menon joined the Tata group in 2000 and headed Tata Chemicals before becoming the managing director of Tata Power.

Padmanabhan has worked in the Tata group for 32 years, having started his career in Tata Consultancy Services, and has worked in various roles across group companies.

 

Tata has also reshuffled the portfolio of Mukund Rajan, former Tata brand custodian, to oversee Tata Sons’ overseas operations and he will continue as chief ethics officer. Rajan was also a member of Mistry's group executive council (GEC), which was disbanded with Mistry’s ouster. Rajan was recruited in the Tata Administrative Service (TAS), which he joined in 1995, and has worked in several group companies and was also assigned to Ratan Tata’s office.

Harish Bhat, another GEC member, has been appointed as Tata brand custodian and head of business development. Bhat was hired in TAS in 1987. He has headed Tata Global Beverages as managing director and was chief operating officer at Titan Industries earlier. After becoming a GEC member, he has served as director on several group company boards.

Gopichand Katragadda, the first chief technology officer of the Tata group, has retained his job. Mistry had hired Katragadda from GE India Technology Centre, where he was chairman and managing director. He drives technology and innovation at the group.

N Srinath, managing director of loss-making Tata Teleservices and an old Tata favourite, is also in the core team. Srinath, another TAS recruit, headed Tata Communications earlier and has been working in the group since 1986.

Ratan Tata has said he will remain as interim chairman only till the next chairman is appointed by a selection panel that includes Lord Kumar Bhattacharya. Since the dramatic ouster of Mistry, Tata has inducted TCS managing director and CEO N Chandrasekharan and Jaguar Land Rover chief Ralf Speth on the Tata Sons board.

Apart from Mistry, three GEC members – NS Rajan, Madhu Kannan and Nirmalya Kumar – have quit the group.