How the papers covered N Chandrasekaran's appointment to Tata Sons top job

From calling him 'Chandrayaan' to highlighting his non-Parsi heritage, all the papers took notice

Natarajan Chandrasekaran will take charge on February 21 as the new chairman of Tata Sons — the holding company of the $116-billion group. 

When Cyrus Mistry was ousted from the same position Chandrasekaran will now take over, many names were thrown up as the possible pick for the top job. 

From high-profile names like Indra Nooyi, the head of PepsiCo Inc, Arun Sarin, the former head of Vodafone Group, and Noel Tata, chairman of the Tata retail unit Trent, to his contemporaries from the group's companies, like Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) boss Ralf Speth, the verdict was still out on who would succeed Mistry. 

Even his predecessor at Tata Consultancy Services, S Ramadorai, was touted as a likely contender.

Business Standard has covered how Chandrasekaran clinched the top job. (Read more) 

Now, we bring you how the other papers covered his appointment: 

The Economic Times: Chandrasekaran's appointment as chairman was the lead for Economic Times' page 1,  with a half-page package on the new top boss at Tata Sons. Calling him a "pro", the paper noted that Tata Sons' board had faith in  Chandrasekaran, as evidenced by his unanimous selection, but warned that the former TCS boss would have to meet high expectations. 

The Times of India: Chandrasekaran's appointment also ranked as the lead on Times of India's first page. Again, a half-page package detailed his rise to the very top, from a professional executive and head of a group company, TCS, to the first non-Parsi chairman of Tata Sons. The paper went on to say that Ratan Tata had promised to find a "world-class" leader for the group, and Tata lifer, Chandrasekaran, was that "world-class" leader.

Times of India

The Financial Express: The Financial Express dedicated the entirety of its front page to Chandrasekaran’s appointment. The full page article ran with a small profile as well as a list of challenges faced by the new chairman. The paper called Chandrasekaran an outsider and an insider, as paradoxical as that sounds. As a Tata lifer, with a 30-year stint with the group so far, Chandrasekaran is an insider, but this is also the first time that a non-parsi, non-shareholder (Read: outsider) has been appointed as Tata Sons' chairman.

The Mint: Chandrasekaran dominated The Mint's front page too, with an 'inside' story on how he clinched the top job accompanying the news of his appointment. Calling Chandrasekaran an insider, the paper said that his first two challenges would be to reassure the investors and shore up the group's reputation, both of which have taken a beating during the Mistry-Tata spat.

The Hindustan Times: Chandrasekaran made it to page 1 in HT too, as the paper's lead. The paper did not carry a large package or anything elaborate but did highlight that he was the first non-Parsi to head the group as its chairman.