Deming Cup 2012: Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons, Limited

Thank you, Klaus. I have to say that I'm not used to hearing so much about the good things I did. Normally I'm talked about for the mistakes I made or for the goof-ups I've had in life, so thank you very much. I'm overwhelmed and most appreciative of the honour that you've bestowed on me and the recognition you've given me. I'd also like to thank the Selection Committee of Business School for the award, but what I'd especially like to do is to express my thanks to the 450,000 employees of the Data Group, without whom and without their commitment, their resolve and their dedication to the job, that it would have been impossible to do the transformation that we have tried to do. The only thing I can say with humility is that I accept this award on their behalf, respecting the contribution that they have made and I do that with a great deal of pride because we succeeded in transforming a large group that had come to be known as slow-moving, traditional, not so aggressive in the marketplace, and we, with their help and with their commitment, we transformed this into hopefully a more nimble-footed, more aggressive and an institute of our times. We, in this transformation, set ourselves three guiding principles. One was to be bold, which Indian companies tended not to be, to think big because we saw that our neighbor China was always thinking big and succeeding, and in the context of the marketplace, to lead and never follow. All through this exercise, Mr Deming has been an inspiration, an inspiration for continued excellence, for continued improvement, for quality, for productivity, and it has helped to make this transformation successful without compromising the one thing that I think our group has been known for, and that is our value systems and our ethics. I would be lying if I said that this journey is complete. In fact, in my view, it has just started and we have a long way to go to sustain what we have tried to build. It will need the commitment and the dedication again of our employees that what you have given me today is going to be the largest motivator to make this happen. So, once again, on behalf of our employees, may I say thank you for what you have given me today, which will be seen by every single one of our employees as a recognition of what they have been able to do in far-off India and to be recognized as a great thing. So, thank you. I will always cherish this moment and thank you, Klaus, for everything you said. Thank you.