Ex-foreign secy Jaishankar joins Tata Sons as global corp affairs chief

Takes charge on May 1, report to N Chandrasekaran, executive chairman of Tata Sons

Tata Sons has appointed former foreign secretary S Jaishankar as president, global corporate affairs. He will join the group on May 1 and will report to N Chandrasekaran, executive chairman of Tata Sons. 

Having joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977, he was foreign secretary for three years till January 2018. He has been high commissioner to Singapore, ambassador to China and the United States, among other diplomatic stints. He had played a key role in negotiating the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.  

Responsible for Tata group’s global corporate affairs and international strategy development, Jaishankar would work with the Tata group companies to help them strengthen their business presence and positioning in their respective geographies globally, the company said in a statement. 

A graduate from St Stephen’s College, Jaishankar’s expertise in foreign relations is expected to come handy for a group that has a substantial portion of its revenue coming from operations outside India. Two of its flagship firms, Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Steel Europe, are in the midst of international negotiations currently. Tata Steel Europe's merger with Thyssenkrupp would require permission from various governments in Europe while JLR would be impacted by Britain's exit from EU. That in turn would imply negotiating with other EU nations.  

Jaishankar had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a waiver of the mandatory cooling-off period for bureaucrats seeking commercial employment, according to reports. Retired bureaucrats have to serve a "cooling-off period" of one year before seeking employment with the private sector. The cooling-off period used to be two years earlier, but was pared by half by the current government in December 2015.

“I am delighted to welcome Jaishankar to the Tata Group. His extensive experience and knowledge on international affairs will be very valuable to the group as we work to reinforce our brand and leadership globally,” said Chandrasekaran. 

Tata Sons already has two former bureaucrats on its board--Ronen Sen, who served as ambassador to several countries including Mexico, Germany and Russia, and Vijay Singh, former defence secretary. Earlier in the 90s, BG Deshmukh, former cabinet secretary, was a Tata Sons board member. Also, noted civil servant Ardeshir Dalal was closely associated with the group several decades ago.          

“The Tata Group is an iconic institution known for its value-based leadership as well as India’s most respected brand globally. I look forward to being part of the Tata group and working with key stakeholders to make an impact,” said Jaishankar.