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Who is Shantanu Naidu? Young employee of Tata Group who was a close confidant of Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata’s confidant and friend Shantanu Naidu has been in the public eye because of his closeness with the legendary industrialist. Read on to know more about him.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.
The unfortunate demise of legendary industrialist Ratan Tata has left the entire nation in deep shock. The legendary businessman’s general manager, Shantanu Naidu’s heart-wrenching note for his ‘lighthouse’ caught everyone’s attention. He has been in the public eye for quite some time now, leaving many wondering about his warm friendship and closeness with the business tycoon.
Today, on October 10, Ratan Tata’s close aide Shantanu Naidu took to his LinkedIn and posted a throwback photo of them together. In a moving post, he talked about the close bond they shared. He wrote, “The hole that this friendship has now left with me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to fill. Grief is the price to pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse.”
Take a look
Notably, Shantanu gained significant attention on the internet in the past few years. He came to the limelight for the first time when a video of him celebrating Tata’s 84th birthday went viral on the internet. In the humble birthday celebration, Naidu was seen clapping and singing a birthday song for his boss. He also kept his hand on the businessman’s shoulder and fed him from the cupcake.
The video was originally posted by Vaibhav Bhoir, Business Development Manager at Tata Motor Finance, calling the legendary industrialist ‘national pride’, and ‘an inspiration to us all.’ It was later shared by the Chairman of RPG Enterprises Harsh Goenka on Twitter with the caption, “A charming scene with the unassuming #RatanTata on his 84th birthday”.
Take a look
Born and brought up in Pune, the 31-year-old Shantanu holds an engineering degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University. He did an MBA from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management.
He began his career as an automobile design engineer at Tata Elxsi, where he introduced an innovative project, Motopaws, to protect stray dogs from traffic accidents. His solution involved protecting stray dogs from being hit by cars by designing reflective collars to make them more visible to night drivers.
Naidu wrote a letter to Tata, an avid dog lover himself, about his project, in response to which he was invited to the meeting. This marked the beginning of an eternal friendship and professional association that lasted for years. The friendship over their shared love for animals is said to have started in 2014 and over the last 10 years, the young employee of Tata became a confidant to the chairman emeritus of Tata Sons.
Notably, under Naidu’s leadership, the business venture expanded rapidly, introducing innovations like sensor-based anti-poaching devices for tigers and reflective dog collars made from recycled materials. These efforts are said to have significantly reduced animal-related accidents and garnered attention nationwide.
Ratan Tata, who never married and had no children, was often accompanied by Naidu in his rare public appearances. Since 2018, Naidu served as Tata’s manager, handling various responsibilities and initiatives under his mentorship.
In addition to this, Naidu himself is an entrepreneur who founded Goodfellows in 2021. The startup is committed to providing complete aid to elderly individuals living alone in India. In fact, Tata had always been a supporter of Naidu’s initiatives and had reportedly invested in the startup too.
Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons, passed away at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, aged 86. As soon as the news of his passing away surfaced, Bollywood celebrities, Indian PM Narendra Modi, and several sports and business personalities mourned his demise.
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