Mr. N. Chandrasekaran
Chairman (Non Executive Director)
Appointment: He is the Chairman of the Board at Tata Sons, the holding company and promoter of all Tata group companies. The Tata group companies, across 10 business verticals, have aggregate annual revenues over USD 110 billion and a market capitalisation of over USD 165 billion.
He 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, including Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – of which he was Chief Executive from 2009-17.
Experience: His appointment as Chairman followed a 30-year business career at TCS, which he joined from university. He rose through the ranks at TCS to become CEO and Managing Director of the leading global IT solution and consulting firm.
Under his leadership, TCS generated total revenues of USD 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. TCS has also been placed among the 'Big 4' most valuable IT services brands worldwide, ranked as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Forbes and recognised as a Global Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute across 24 countries.
He is also the author of Bridgital Nation, a groundbreaking book on harnessing technological disruptions to bring Indians closer to their dreams. He has been awarded several honorary doctorates by leading universities in India and internationally, including an honorary Doctor of Letters from Macquarie University, Australia, Doctor of Letters from the Regional Engineering College, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, where he completed a Masters degree in Computer Applications before joining TCS in 1987.
Current external appointments: He is on the International Advisory Council of Singapore’s Economic Development Board. He is the Chairman of Indian Institute of Management Lucknow as well as the President of the Court at India Institute of Science Bengaluru. He is the member of Bocconi's International Advisory Council and the Co-Chair India US CEO Forum.
He is an active member of India’s bilateral business forums including USA, UK, Australia and Japan. He served as a Director on the Board of India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, from 2016 till 2020. He served as the Chairman of NASSCOM, the apex trade body for IT services firms in India in 2012-13.
Mr. Harish Bhat
Non Executive Director
Appointment: 7th July 2012
Experience: He is the Brand Custodian of Tata Sons. He joined the Tata group in 1987 as an officer in the Tata Administrative Service. During his career of over 30 years with the Tata Group, Mr. Bhat has served in several senior roles. These include stints as Managing Director and CEO of Tata Global Beverages, COO of the Watches and Jewellery businesses of Titan Company, and in the telecom business of the Tata group.
Current external appointments: He is the Chairman of Tata Coffee Ltd. and a Director on the Boards of several other Tata companies, including Trent Ltd., Tata Starbucks Pvt. Ltd., Infiniti Retail Ltd., Tata Unistore Ltd., and Tata AIA Life Insurance Company Ltd. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Advertising Standards Council of India.
Mr. S. Santhanakrishnan
Independent Director
Appointment: 11th May 2018
Experience: He has specialised knowledge in M&As, valuations, corporate laws and technology. He brings to the Board four decades of rich experience in finance, accounts and international accounting standards, strategy and planning and corporate laws. He has been an Independent Director for over 16 years in banks and been a Chairman of a bank for over 8 years.
He is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and a Managing Partner of PKF Sridhar and Santhanam LLP, Chartered Accountants. He was a member in the Central Council of ICAI for 15 years up to 2015, and has served in various committees of the Institute.
Current external appointments: He is a member on the Boards of various Tata companies like Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd., Tata Housing Development Company Ltd., Eight O'clock Coffee Company, Consolidated Coffee Inc., Tata Coffee Vietnam Company Ltd. and a Director in ICICI Home Finance Co. Ltd. He is a Designated Partner of PKF Sridhar & Santhanam LLP, a well-known CA firm. He is also actively involved with various government and industry bodies. He has been a member of the High-level Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility formed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and is also a Government Nominee for Central Council of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). He is a member of various Charitable organisations like Chairman of Coorg Foundation in Coorg, Voluntary Health Services in Chennai and various other Trusts.
Mr. Siraj Chaudhry
Independent Director
Appointment: 3rd July 2017
Experience: His tenure at Cargill spans nearly 24 years out of a career of over 32 years in Agriculture and Food and includes handling the leadership role in India for 12 years, as well as a global commodity trading role in Geneva. Under his leadership since 2007, Cargill India, through a combination of green fields and acquisitions, has successfully built both their consumer FMCG businesses in India and institutional businesses, backed by world-class manufacturing facilities, early technology adoption robust sales and distribution network, and an enviable brand portfolio. Cargill’s edible oil fortification plan has been recognised as one of the pioneering efforts in addressing malnutrition.
He is a Co-Chair of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) National Committee on Agriculture. He has, in the past, chaired the FICCI, the Agriculture and Food Committee of USA-India Business Council (USIBC) in India and the Agriculture and Food Committee at American Chambers of Commerce.
He has been actively engaged with the World Economic Forum on their agriculture agenda in India. He is a thought leader in the space of Agriculture and Food and is consulted by central and state governments for his views in these fields. He supports and mentors start-ups in the space of Food and Agriculture. He has been closely associated with the cause of food security and nutrition. He has been one of the founders of the United Way Delhi chapter and India Food Banking Network.
Current external appointments: He is presently the Managing Director & CEO of National Collateral Management Services Ltd. (NCML), a Fairfax company. He is also on the Boards of Tata Coffee Ltd. as an Independent Director and as a Director on the Boards of NCML Agribusiness Consultants Private Ltd., NCML Mktyard Private Ltd., NCML Finance Private Ltd. and Arboreal Bioinnovations Private Ltd.
Mr. Bharat Puri
Independent Director
Appointment: 7th May 2019
Experience: He is the Managing Director of Pidilite Industries Ltd. He started his career with Asian Paints in 1982 and rose to head Sales & Marketing. He moved to Cadbury India as Director of Sales & Marketing in 1998 and was appointed its Managing Director in 2002. He has held senior leadership positions in Sales, Marketing and General Management at the regional and global level, culminating in his becoming Global President – Chocolates, Gum and Candy for Mondelez International. He has been a successful global business leader, who has built, energised and led diverse teams across numerous geographies.
Current external appointments: He is the Managing Director of Pidilite Industries Ltd. He is also a Director on the Boards of ICA Pidilite Private Ltd., Tata Consumer Products UK Group Ltd. and Tata Consumer Products GB Ltd.
Mrs. Shikha Sharma
Independent Director
Appointment: 7th May 2019
Experience: She was the Managing Director and CEO of Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, from June 2009 up to December 2018. As a leader adept at managing change, she led the Bank on a transformation journey from being primarily a corporate lender to a bank with a strong retail deposit franchise and a balanced lending book. She has more than three decades of experience in the financial sector, having begun her career with ICICI Bank Ltd. in 1980. During her tenure with ICICI Bank, she was instrumental in setting up ICICI Securities. As Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd., she led the company to become the No.1 private sector life insurance company in India.
She was a member of RBI’s Technical Advisory Committee, RBI’s Panel on Financial Inclusion, the Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low-Income Households. She has chaired CII’s National Committee on Banking 2015-2017. She has a demonstrated track record of building successful and enduring businesses, deep understanding of business through data and analytics and has built businesses based on consumer insight and technology execution.
Current external appointments: She is also an independent director on the Boards of Ambuja Cements Ltd., Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, Tech Mahindra Ltd, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. She is a member of the Board of Governors of IIM Lucknow, a member of the Advisory Board of Bridgespan and an advisor to several companies.
Mr. Sunil D'Souza
Managing Director & CEO
Appointment: 4th April 2020
Experience: In his previous role, he served as Managing Director of Whirlpool India Ltd. for over four years. Prior to this, he spent almost 15 years at PepsiCo, where he held several leadership roles. During his stint at PepsiCo, he handled all commercial aspects of the company’s food and beverage portfolio and successfully led the business in a large cluster of Asian countries.
He began his career at Hindustan Unilever Ltd. in 1993. With over 26 years of rich experience, he has strong domain knowledge of the consumer products business with distinct focus on strategy, growth and execution.
He is an engineering graduate from the University of Madras and holds a post-graduate diploma in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.
Current external appointments: He is also a Director on the Boards of Tata Starbucks Private Ltd. and several other Tata Consumer group companies.
Mr. L. KrishnaKumar
Executive Director & Group CFO
Appointment: He joined as the Head of the Finance function of erstwhile Tata Tea in India in 2004 and has handled different roles in the Company in India and the UK.
Experience: He started his career with A. F. Ferguson and Co., where he worked as a Senior Consultant with their management consultancy division. He subsequently worked with Larsen and Toubro Ltd., a diversified conglomerate, in a variety of areas and was lastly in their corporate office as General Manager, Finance, before joining the Tata group.
He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Institute of Cost Accountants of India and Institute of Company Secretaries of India and has diverse experience in consulting, manufacturing, service and consumer industries.
Current external appointments: He is also a Director on the Boards of Tata Starbucks Ltd., NourishCo Beverages Ltd. and several of the Company's overseas subsidiaries.
Board Committees
Board Tenure
(as of 31st March 2020)0-2 years
3-5 years
6 years and more
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