Ratan Tata's friend Shantanu Naidu gets top executive role at Tata Motors

Shantanu Naidu, who shot to fame due to his association with the late Ratan Tata, has joined Tata Motors. Taking to LinkedIn, Naidu announced his appointment as General Manager and Head of Strategic Initiatives at Tata Motors. In his post, Naidu reflected on his childhood memories of waiting for his father to return home from the Tata Motors plant. "It comes full circle now ❤️," he wrote, tying his new position to those early moments of connection to the Tata group.

A journey marked by mentorship

Naidu’s path to this role has been shaped by his professional and personal experiences. After earning his engineering degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University in 2014 and completing his MBA at Cornell University in 2016, Naidu began his career in a different direction. In 2018, Naidu started working full time with Ratan Tata as his assistant. Over time, their relationship deepened into a close friendship, which gained public attention, particularly through moments like a viral video where Naidu sang a birthday song for Tata.

Tata’s mentorship was pivotal in Naidu’s development, both professionally and personally. One of Naidu's early innovations—a project to protect homeless dogs from speeding vehicles—caught Tata's attention, leading to Tata’s support of the initiative and Naidu’s subsequent career.

Entrepreneurial Ventures

In 2021, Naidu founded Goodfellows, a startup focused on helping elderly individuals living alone. Tata supported the venture and later waived Naidu’s education loan in his will, a gesture that reflected their close bond.