The Tata Titans

Coming from a family of traditional Parsee priests, it was Jamsetji Tata who started scripting the Tata saga.

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata (1887-1904): Founder of the Tata Group, he began with a textile mill in Central India in the 1870s. Strikingly, workers were offered pensions and paid accident compensation. His powerful vision inspired the steel and power industries in India.

Sir Dorabji Tata (1904-1932): The elder son of Jamsetji Tata was instrumental in transforming his father’s grand vision into reality through his endeavours in setting up Tata Steel and Tata Power.

Sir Nowroji Saklatwala (1932-1938): He joined the Tata organisation in 1899 as a clerk in Svadeshi Mills in Mumbai. Within twenty years, he rose to be the head of the firm. The only non-Tata to make it to the top, Saklatwala was Jamsetji Tata’s sister’s son. An ardent sport lover, the magnificent Brabourne Stadium was built under his guidance. On the passing away of Sir Dorabji Tata, he was elected Chairman of Tata Sons in 1932.

JRD Tata (1938-1991): Widely recognised as the founder of civil aviation in India, JRD was the first pilot to qualify in the country.

He pioneered civil aviation in the subcontinent in 1932 and founded India’s first national carrier, Tata Airlines, renamed Air India in 1946. When JRD took over the Chairmanship of Tata Sons in 1938, the group had 14 companies. When he completed his half a century at the helm on July 26, 1988, there were nearly 95 enterprises which Tatas had either started or had a controlling interest in.

Under his stewardship, the group expanded to cover sectors as wide as power, engineering, hotels, consultancy services, information technology, consumer goods, consumer durables and industrial products.

Ratan N. Tata(1991-2012)

(Years mentioned indicate the period of Chairmanship)