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Image Source: Shantanu Naidu/LinkedIn
Shantanu Naidu, the close friend and manager of the late Ratan Tata, has become General Manager and Head of Strategic Initiatives at Tata Motors, an Indian automotive giant.
Announcing the development on LinkedIn, Shantanu wrote, "I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as General Manager, Head - Strategic Initiatives at Tata Motors! I remember when my father used to walk home from the Tata Motors plant in his white shirt and navy pants, and I would wait for him in the window. It comes full circle now."
Who is Shantanu Naidu?
Naidu, an engineer by training, earned recognition in 2014 after designing reflective collars to protect stray dogs from speeding vehicles. His work caught the eye of Ratan Tata, an animal welfare advocate who not only invested in the project but also became Naidu's mentor, employer, and a close friend.
Naidu is the co-founder of Motopaws, a Pune-based startup that promotes animal safety. He also launched On Your Sparks, a counseling platform for Indian students venturing into entrepreneurship. Additionally, he founded Goodfellows, a Mumbai-based startup that offers companionship for senior citizens.
Naidu’s professional trajectory includes a stint as a design engineer at Tata Elxsi, followed by an internship in business strategy at Tata Trusts. According to his LinkedIn profile, he also served as deputy general manager and then general manager in the office of Ratan Tata, before moving into his latest post at Tata Motors.
In parallel with his engineering pursuits, Naidu earned an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, where he received accolades for entrepreneurial leadership.
On October 9, 2024, Ratan Tata died at the age of 86. Following his mentor's demise, Naidu shared an emotional tribute on LinkedIn: "The hole that this friendship has now left with me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to fill. Grief is the price to pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse."