V R Mehta, a trustee of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, on Saturday complimented the selection committee's move to appoint N Chandrasekaran as the new Chairman of Tata Sons.
"I think it's an excellent move. This can be owed to two reasons. Firstly, Chandrasekaran has been working for TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) for almost 30 years now. He is well-acquainted with the value system, the working culture and the ethos of Tata Sons. And he'll be able to bring all these qualities to his new role," Mehta told ANI in an interview here.
"Secondly, he is a proven leader. He has a track record of being the Managing Director of TCS since 2009. In that position, he has achieved great success and taken his company to great heights. I think both these qualities will help Chandrasekaran in performing his duties in this important and very challenging role," he added.
When asked about Chandrasekaran not being a Parsi and still getting selected for the role, Mehta said, "It's true that before him only Parsis held the position. But it also shows that Mr Ratan Tata has always looked for qualities which are not based on caste, religion, location, gender or community. He looks for people who are good human beings, are capable and will be able to deliver to the role they have been assigned. The selection committee, of which he was also a part, has selected the best person without considering his caste or ethnicity."
"The position of Tata Sons - Executive Chairman is any day a very challenging position, with companies like Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Power and TCS among other to take care of. These are of different sizes and different sectors. Serving the role of the chairman will certainly be very challenging. But that's where the importance of a leader lies. The other challenges Chandrasekaran will have to face are the aftermath of the series of events that happened in the last two-and-a-half months. A turbulence of this kind has never happened earlier. It'll be challenging but also a learning experience as well for Chandrasekaran," Mehta added when asked the challenge that lie ahead for the newly-appointed chairman.
Naveen Raheja, Chairman and MD, Raheja Group, also hailed the move.
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"It's the first time that Tata Sons have taken their home-grown chairman, who is not a Parsi and who is a thorough professional. So, I wish him all the best. I really hope that all the contorversies surrouding the company will be put to rest because he is a non-controversial face who has always performed and has always been coordinating with all companies under Tata Sons," Raheja said.
Earlier, Tata Sons announced that the Tata veteran, N Chandrasekaran will be the new chairman of the company. The selection panel comprised of Ratan Tata, Venu Srinivasan, Amit Chandra and Ronen Sen.
Chandrasekaran is currently the CEO and MD of IT company TCS, a position he has held since 2009. TCS is the tech flagship of the Tata Group and has touched $1 billion mark in profits for the first time in the recently announced third quarter results.
The apointment of Chandrasekaran came after Cyrus Mistry was replaced at short notice as the chairman of Tata Sons, the position he was appointed to in December 2012, on October 24, 2016. Ratan Tata, the previous chairman, was then appointed as interim chairman. Mistry's removal became one of the biggest corporate governance issues in India.
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