Ratan N. Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, has been awarded an HEC Paris honoris causa degree at a special ceremony held on campus. Mr Tata is the first industry leader from Asia to be awarded such a distinction from HEC Paris.
The HEC honoris causa degree has been awarded to exceptional heads of states (Mikhail Gorbatchev, Helmut Kohl and Romano Prodi) and corporate leaders (Bill Gates, Jeffrey Immelt, and Samuel Palmisano) among others. With the success of the Tata Group—and its contribution to India—under his leadership, Mr Tata is a role model for multinational companies in emerging markets. He is equally well-known for his charisma, vision and personal ethics.
A business school that admits highly talented young people from all over the world, HEC Paris wanted to showcase Ratan Tata's charismatic leadership to its students. A year ago, Mr Tata had accepted an invitation from Sumeet Anand, Chair of the HEC Alumni chapter in India, extended on behalf of HEC Paris, in the presence of Laurent Fabius, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.
During the honoris causa ceremony, Mr Tata shared his vision of leadership and experience of strategic management, and participated in a lively Q&A session with faculty and students.
The ceremony was hosted by Bernard Ramanantsoa, Dean of HEC Paris, in the presence of Arun K. Singh, the Ambassador of India, Jean-Paul Vermès, Vice President of the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Mireille Faugère, President of HEC Alumni.
Mr Tata was chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, from 1991 until his retirement in December 2012. During his tenure, the group’s revenues grew manifold, totaling over $100bn in 2011-12. The Tata Group operates in 56 countries and hires more than 500,000 employees across 100 companies, including Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Power, as well as famous global brands such as Jaguar, Land Rover, and Tetley.
