Asia House honours Ratan Tata with the Asian Business Leaders’ Award 2011
31st October 2011

Asia House honoured India's leading industrialist Mr Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Group, with the Asian Business Leaders’ Award 2011 at a glittering dinner held at Banqueting House, Whitehall on Monday 31st October 2011. Among those paying tribute to Mr Tata were Deputy Prime Minister The Rt Hon. Nick Clegg, Stuart Gulliver, Group Chief Executive of HSBC; Peter Sands, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank, Sir John Boyd and The Rt Hon. Oliver Letwin MP. Guests included Asian House Trustees and Patrons and leading businessmen and women from the UK, India and South Asian continent. On presenting the award, Sir John Boyd said "Tonight we honour a great man whose contribution to the betterment of society and to global business has been outstanding. Mr Rata Tata became Chairman of Tata Sons in 1991 and since that time revenues have grown twelve-fold."

"High-profile acquisitions such as Tetley (2000), Corus Group (2007) and Jaguar Land Rover (2008) have expanded Tata Group's employees to 395,000 around the world, with 30,000 employees in the UK. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was identified by The Daily Telegraph as one of Britain's Top Employers for 2011. Add to this fact that more than two-thirds of Tata Group is held in charitable trusts and it is clear that Ratan Tata is no ordinary business leader, but someone who exemplifies the concept of the 'Servant Leader'. It is for this reason that we recognise and honour him tonight".

The award highlights the links between economic success, professional excellence accompanied by moral leadership and service to society. The Asia House Annual Asian Leaders’ Awards Dinner celebrates the enormous social impact of commercial enterprise which, at its best, promotes values of leadership and service that can be felt far beyond the boardroom. By recognising individuals who embody the ‘Servant Leader’ ideal, Asia House seeks to encourage widespread recognition and adoption of these values amongst the global business community. Previous honourees include Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, UK Minister of State for Trade & Investment and former Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings Plc, Vikram Singh Mehta, Chairman of Shell India and Jack Ma, Chairman and Founder of Alibaba.com.

About Mr Ratan Tata

Mr Ratan N Tata has been the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, since 1991. He is also Chairman of the major Tata companies, including Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Tata Consultancy Services. During his tenure, the group's revenues have grown manifold, totaling over $83 billion in 2010-11.

Mr Tata also serves on the board of director of Fiat SpA and Alcoa. He is also on the international advisory boards of Mitsubishi Corporation, the American International Group, JP Morgan Chase, Rolls Royce, Temasek Holdings and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Mr Tata is also associated with various organisation in India and overseas. He is the Chairman of two of the largest private-sector-promoted philanthropic trusts in India. He also serves on the board of trustees of Cornell University and the University of Southern California.

Mr Tata joined the Tata Group in 1962. In 1981 he was named Chairman of Tata Industries, the group's other holding company, where he was responsible for transforming it into a group strategy think-tank, and a promoter of new ventures in high technology businesses.

Mr Tata received a B.S degree in Architecture from Cornell in 1962. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.

The Government of India honored Mr Tata with its second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan in 2008. He has also received honorary doctorates from several universities in India and overseas.

About Asia House

Asia House, the leading pan-Asian organisation in the UK, exists to build dynamic links with Asia; important now more than ever. By providing unique insights into culture, policy, business and education, Asia House promotes informed understanding and the mutual exchange of ideas, building stronger relationships between the diverse communities of Europe and Asia. Founded in 1996, Asia House is a non-profit, non-political organisation, which provides a focal point for all those engaged in business, policy, education and culture in Asia.

Asia House Co-Chairmen: Mr Stuart Gulliver, Group Chief Executive, HSBC Holdings plc and Mr Peter Sands, Group Chief Executive, Standard Chartered Bank

Asia House Benefactors: AZB & Partners, Mr. Vahid Alaghband, Chairman, The Balli Group; Mr Victor Chu, Chairman, First Eastern Group; The Hon. Apurv Bagri, Managing Director, Metdist; Mr Syed Anwar Hasan, Director, Tata Limited and Mr Dalip Pathak, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus International.

Asia House Patrons: Mr Deepak Haria, Partner, Deloitte LLP; Ms Nimi Patel, Head of India Group, Herbert Smith LLP; Mr Ian Gomes, Partner & Chairman, High Growth Markets, KPMG; Mr Mukesh Rajani, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Mr Sandeep Kamat, Managing Director, Investment Banking, UBS

Visit www.asiahouse.org.uk for further information.