MUMBAI: Shantanu Naidu, who gained recognition as an assistant to late industrialist Ratan Tata, has transitioned to Tata Motors as general manager for strategic initiatives after spending over six years at Tata Sons.
“I remember when my father used to walk home from the Tata Motors plant in his white shirt and navy pants, and I would wait for him at the window. It comes full circle now,” he wrote on LinkedIn, noting the personal significance of his new role. His familial connection to Tata Group runs deep, with his father having worked at the Pune plant of Tata Motors, and his grandfather and great-grandfather at Tata Power’s hydroelectric facility in Bhira in Maharashtra.
Although Naidu was stationed at Ratan Tata’s office in Tata Trusts, his remuneration came from Tata Sons.. In Jan, Naidu’s salary was transferred to Tata Motors, signalling his upcoming role in the flagship enterprise.
Tata Group maintains a practice of facilitating internal movements across its various businesses to nurture talent. Recent examples include Swaminathan T V of Tata Consumer Products’ shift to Tata Motors’ commercial vehicle digital operations, Sandeep Tripathy of Tata Sons’ move to Tata Capital, and Pratik Pal of Tata Digital’s transition to special projects at Tata Sons.
A mechanical engineering graduate, Naidu began his journey with an internship at Tata Technologies and later worked at Tata Elxsi. At Tata Elxsi, Naidu’s dog collar design to prevent human-animal accidents – caught the attention of Ratan Tata, leading to the industrialist backing his project and career.Naidu’s MBA expenses at Cornell University, were covered under Tata’s will.
