Tata Group setting up Dubai office to boost growth in West Asia

After Singapore this is the second such nodal office opened by the new group chairman

Tata Group is setting up an international nodal office in Dubai to help group companies grow faster in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Tata Sons, the group’s holding company, on Thursday said it had appointed Sunil Sinha as resident director (MENA region) to establish an office there. Sinha has been with the group for 31 years. Earlier, he was chief executive, Tata Quality Management Service (TQMS). He was instrumental in driving business excellence, innovation and safety in group companies.

The in-charge of the MENA office will report to Madhu Kannan, member, group executive council, Tata Sons.

The Tata group aims to increase its annual turnover from about $100 billion to $500 billion by 2022. This will require the company to take an aggressive inorganic route across the globe. “The office’s objective is to further enhance and strengthen Tata Sons’ engagement with all stakeholders in the MENA region and facilitating business growth for Tata group companies, especially in sectors crucial to development in MENA and of strategic interest to the group,” said Tata Sons.

Since the early 90s, the Tata group has been steadily increasing its presence in MENA. Group companies in that region include Indian Hotels, Tata Communications, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Consulting Engineers, Tata International, Tata Motors, Tata Global Beverages, Titan Company, Tata Elxsi and Tata Interactive Systems.

The Dubai nodal office is the group’s second such office since Cyrus Mistry took charge as chairman of Tata Sons in December 2012. In January, he had set up a similar office in Singapore to help group companies grow faster in the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region.

The group has appointed S Padmanabhan as executive chairman of TQMS. Padmanabhan, who will report to Mistry from July 1, has been with the Tata group for 32 years, starting his career with Tata Consultancy Services. Currently, he is executive director (operations), Tata Power.

WIDENING HORIZONS

• The Tata group aims to increase its annual turnover from about $100 billion to $500 billion by 2022, which requires the company to take an aggressive inorganic route across the globe
• Group companies in the MENA region include Indian Hotels, Tata Communications, Tata Consultancy Services among others
• The Dubai nodal office is the group’s second such office since Cyrus Mistry took charge as chairman of Tata Sons in December 2012