Heading the Tata Group since 1991, Ratan N Tata is the Chairman of Tata Sons, holding company of the Tata Group, and major Group companies including, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels, Tata Teleservices and Tata AutoComp. He is also Chairman of two of the largest private sector promoted philanthropic trusts in India. During his tenure, the Group has further expanded its global reach, with its revenues growing over sixfold to Rs 97,000 crore ($21.9 billion).

Mr Tata joined the Tata Group in December 1962. After serving in various companies, he was appointed the Director-in-Charge of The National Radio & Electronics Company Limited (Nelco) in 1971. In 1981, he was named Chairman of Tata Industries, the Group's other holding company, where he was responsible for transforming it into the Group's strategy think-tank and a promoter of new ventures in high-technology businesses.

He is associated with various organisations in India and abroad in varying capacities, some of which are:

• Chairman, government of India's Investment Commission
• Member, Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry
• Member, National Hydrogen Energy Board
• Member, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council
• Serving on the International Investment Council set up by the president of the Republic of South Africa
• Serving the International Business Advisory Council of the British government to advise the chancellor of the exchequer
• Member, International Advisory Council of Singapore's Economic Development Board
• Member, Asia-Pacific Advisory Committee to the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange
• Member, international advisory boards of the Mitsubishi Corporation, the American International Group and JP Morgan Chase
• President, court of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
• Chairman, council of management, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
• Member, board of trustees of the Rand Corporation, Cornell University and University of Southern California, and the Foundation Board of the Ohio State University
• Chair, advisory board of RAND's Center for Asia Pacific Policy
• Member, Global Business Council on HIV / AIDS and the programme board of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's India AIDS initiative

Mr Tata received a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture from Cornell University in 1962. He worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles, California, before returning to India in late 1962. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.

The government of India honoured Mr Tata with one of its highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan, on Republic Day, January 26, 2000. He has also been conferred an honorary doctorate in business administration by the Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in technology by the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, and an honorary doctorate in science by the University of Warwick.