CNN: Executive Insider, Ratan Tata

In India, the Tata name is everywhere. It's the country's largest car maker, dominating with a 64% market share. But it's not just cars. The group produces everything from steel to tea, as well as services like IT consultancy and even hotels. The man behind the empire, 73-year-old Ratan Tata. The media-shy CEO has caught international attention for his gutsy acquisitions abroad, including the buyout of the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus in 2007 and British car makers Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008. It's been a busy few years for Ratan Tata. So busy, in fact, that he's had to push back his retirement twice. So what makes Ratan Tata so indispensable? I would say that I'm blessed with a very good executive team that operates reasonably autonomously, each of the companies. We have a review system. I'm the non-executive chairman of nine or so of the major companies. It's a little trying because you jump from one industry to another, as the case might be. But one has a reasonable knowledge of those nine activities, and it's been an exciting job. What would you say is one of the biggest misconceptions about you that you'd like to change? I'd say that one of the things I wish I could do differently would be to be more outgoing. I'm a very introverted person and pretty shy, and in the job I am, I sometimes have to be more public, like sitting here. With me. Yeah. These are some of the things that I look at almost like an occupational hazard that you have to deal with. What do you think your worst day was in business? I think the worst day I had, or the worst few days I had, was when the group decided that it was going to go out of textiles, and I was in charge of one of the mills. And that company needed a relatively small amount of infusion of money to run, but it was denied, and the company was taken into liquidation by the Tata Group, not by an outside party. And being closest to the operation, I saw the change of fate, if you might, to several thousands of people. Who do you go to for advice? For a long time, when I was not the chairman, J. R. D. Tata used to be the person I would go to for advice, who would spend time with me. I miss him a great deal. Is there anything else you'd like to add? No, I just feel that it's been an exciting time. My only regret is that I am not 20 years younger, because I think India is going through a very exciting period in its history. Would you like to stay on? I said I was 20 years younger, not that I would stay on for 20 years.