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Tata Sons Ropes in Academic Gurus

Published: Sep 21, 2013 06:16:17 AM IST
Updated: Sep 18, 2013 02:13:12 PM IST
Tata Sons Ropes in Academic Gurus
Image: Alok Brahmbhatt for Forbes India
Nitin Nohria

Industry-academia collaboration seems to be the new mantra for the Tata group.
 
Its chairman Cyrus Mistry is reaching out to academic gurus of global repute to beef up the Tata Sons board and senior management. Only last month, Mistry hired marketing guru and London Business School professor Nirmalya Kumar to head strategy for the group. The newest entrant is Harvard Business School dean Nitin Nohria.

Nohria joins five other directors, Cyrus Mistry, Farrokh K Kavarana, R Gopalakrishnan, Ishaat Hussain and former defence secretary Vijay Singh, on the Tata Sons board. He brings in a wealth of experience, having been advisor and consultant to several companies across the world.

Nohria’s pedigree is established: He has a doctorate in management from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; he also holds a BTech degree in chemical engineering from IIT-Bombay (which honoured him as a distinguished alumnus in 2007).

Mistry has also been inducting fresh blood into the Group Executive Council (GEC) with NS Rajan, head of human resources, Mukund Govind Rajan, head of brands, communication, ethics and corporate responsibility, and Madhu Kannan, head of business development and public affairs.

 

(This story appears in the 04 October, 2013 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)

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  • S Mishra

    Sir, having academia on board helps Tata Group to benefit their 65% share holders i.e the Trusts. Not many people know that Trusts are where most of the profits of Tatas go. The new entrant who practices business ethics, will be of great help for Tatas.

    on Sep 21, 2013