Ratan N. Tata

Ratan N. Tata was the chairman of the Tata Group from 1991 until December 2012. During his tenure, the group's revenues grew manifold, totaling more than $100 billion in 2012-12.

Mr. Tata serves on the board of Alcoa and Mondelez. He is also on the international advisory boards of Mitsubishi Corporation, JP Morgan Chase, Rolls-Royce, Temasek Holdings, Monetary Authority of Singapore, and Global Ocean Commission.

Mr. Tata is the chairman of the Sir Ratan Tata and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, two of the largest private-sector-promoted philanthropic trusts in India. He is a member of the Indian Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry, President of the Court of Indian Institute of Science, and Chairman of the Council of Management of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He also serves on the board of trustees of Cornell University and the University of Southern California.

Mr. Tata joined the Tata Group in 1962. After serving in various companies, he was appointed Director-in-Charge of the National Radio & Electronic Company Limited in 1971. In 1982 he became chairman of Tata Industries, where he was responsible for transforming it into a group strategy think tank and a promoter of new ventures in high-technology businesses.

Mr. Tata received a BA degree from Cornell in 1962. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.

The government of India honored Mr. Tata with its second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008. He has also received honorary doctorates from several universities in India and overseas.