Tata looking for successor: reports

Ratan Naval Tata, 71 is considering retirement. The chairman of the legendary Tata Group, one India's largest conglomerates and most respected brands is looking for a successor to him.

When Tata retires, it would ring the curtain down on an era that saw one of India's most respected businesspersons at the helm of the Tata group. It would also mark the end of a chapter in Tata Group's history that will be remembered for the many achievements that added luster to its resplendent crown.

Tata, the winner of numerous awards and recognition, could be credited for several success stories during the time he steered the group, of which some of the more prominent were Tata Steel's acquisition of Dutch steel major Corus in 2007, Tata Motors taking over UK's Jaguar Land Rover and the launch of the people's car this year, the Rs1-lakh Tata Nano, conceptualised on Tata's common man's car.

The search process for Tata's successor is on, according to The Wall Street Journal which published an interview with the Tata Group chief today.

Tata said the group has appointed outside consultants to look for a successor with the integrity and the group's value systems in the forefront and hopefully would carry on the path that the management had tried to set for the company's growth.

He added that the successor would either come from within the Tata organisation or from outside. According to analysts, whether the incumbent were to come from within or from outside, he would surely need to fill some pretty big boots.