Chandrasekaran lists 4 themes for Tata group, warns of Covid impact

Digital, new energy, supply chain resilience and health to be focus of the $100-billion conglomerate.

Digital, new energy, supply chain resilience and health will be Tata Sons' four business themes in 2022, said group chairman N Chandrasekaran in a new year message to employees as he called winning the bid for Air India the conglomerate’s most important milestone.

 “Our companies are already adapting to these changes, and we are witnessing stronger performance. Our new pilots and businesses, from 5G to TataNeu and Tata Electronics, are poised to benefit from these four themes going forward,” he said.

He cautioned that the ambition of the over $100-billion conglomerate is contingent on a more immediate concern, learning to live with the coronavirus. “Businesses and society must adapt to it by preparing as best we can for new outbreaks and variants. We are seeing this now with the spread of Omicron,” he wrote.

For the year 2021 he said that despite the uncertainties the group has done well, both in terms of responding to the difficulties due to the second wave of Covid, as well as financially. “Tata Group companies did well, not only in terms of financial performance, but also in executing our transformation agenda. Thanks to our 3S strategy, we are becoming simpler and financially stronger than we have been in a long time. We have also made good progress addressing our carbon footprint and positioning our companies to benefit from revolutionary new technologies,” he said:

Citing the rising number of Covid-19 infections, he urged employees to follow health protocol.

“I am optimistic about what we can do next in the years ahead. Recent success has given our Group a great platform to build on. I am excited by the heights I know we can reach, not just financially, but also in terms of the difference we can make to communities. We can set new standards in technology, sustainability, and skills development.”