New Delhi: N Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons’ chief, has been appointed as the chairman of Air India. Chandrashekaran’s name was cleared at a board meeting held on Monday by Air India.
His appointment came days after Turkish Airlines former Turkish Airlines head Mehmet Ilker Ayci declined the Tata Group’s offer to be the chief executive officer and managing director of Air India as “some sections of the Indian media” have attempted to “colour” his appointment in an undesirable
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, 59, joined the Board of Tata Sons in October 2016 and was appointed Chairman in January 2017. He also chairs the Boards of several group operating companies of the Tata conglomerate including Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), of which he was Chief Executive Officer from 2009-17.
TCS – The First Step of Chandrasekaran’s Career
Chandrasekaran climbed up the hierarchy in Tata group after joining Tata Consultancy Services from university. He was appointed as the chairman after serving a 30 year-long business career at TCS.
“Under his leadership, TCS generated total revenues of US $16.5 billion in 2015-16 and consolidated its position as the largest private sector employer in India and the country’s most valuable company,” reads the official website of TCS about Chandrasekaran.
Engagements Other Than Tata’s
Chandrasekaran also served as director on the board of the Reserve Bank of India in 2016. He has also served as the chairperson of the Information and Communication Technology Industry Governors at the World Economic Forum, Davos, in 2015-16.
He is also an active member of India’s bilateral business forums including USA, UK, Australia and Japan. He served as the chairman of NASSCOM, the apex trade body for IT services firms in India in 2012-13.
Awards and Recognitions
Chandrasekaran has received many awards for his business leadership.
– Business Leader of the Year at the ET Awards for Corporate Excellence 2016;
– CNBC TV 18 – ‘Indian Business Icon’, 2014;
– CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2014 (business category);
– Best CEO for 2013 and 2014 by Business Today; and,
– Best CEO 2010-15 Institutional Investor’s Annual All-Asia Executive Team rankings.
He has also been awarded several honorary doctorates by leading universities in India and internationally.
Chandrasekaran’s Personal Life
The new Air India Chairman is an avid photographer and a passionate long-distance marathon runner.
He attended the Regional Engineering College, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, where he completed a Masters degree in Computer Applications before joining TCS in 1987.
Chandra lives in Mumbai, with his wife Lalitha. They have a son, Pranav, who is currently pursuing undergraduate studies.