Popularly known as the ‘Marathon Man’, Natarajan Chandrasekaran has been one of the Padma Bhushan awardees this year. He has been serving as the Chairman of the Board at the Tata Sons since 2017. But it is also true that he started off his career as an Intern at the Tata Group!
The Journey
Chandrasekaran joined Tata Consultancy Services as an intern in 1987. Hailing from Tamil Nadu and completing his schooling at a Govt school, he got a bachelor’s degree in Applied Sciences from the Coimbatore Institute of Technology. After which he completed his Master of Computer Applications (MCA) from the Regional Engineering College in Tiruchirappalli.
His stint as an intern began and he slowly climbed up the ladder in one of the prestigious companies of the country. Today, it is the most valuable company and is the largest private-sector employer in India. Under his leadership, TCS has generated consolidated revenues of US$16.5 billion in 2015-16.
He has also served as CEO and the Managing Director of the company. His long career with the Tata Group earned him the name of ‘Chandra’ at the Bombay House, the headquarters of Tata Group in Mumbai.
Chandra has held some prestigious posts like a member of the RBI board and even the chairman of NASSCOM. He has been an active part of India’s bilateral forums with nations like the UK, USA, Japan among others.
“To thrive in a world of rapid change, we need to reduce complexity across businesses and simplify. This will help us respond and react faster,” he had said after taking charge as the chairperson of the Tata Group. N. Chandrasekaran.
Under his leadership, the Tata Group repositioned itself in the aviation sector by acquiring erstwhile national carrier Air India. Today he stands as a Padma Bhushan along with stalwarts like Cyrus Poonawalla, Sundar Pichai among others.
He is known as Marathon Man for his passion for long-distance running and completing marathons worldwide.
