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From Air India To AI, N Chandrasekaran’s Big Bets Define His Legacy At Tata
Following an almost four-decade-long stint at the Tata Group and a decade-long tenure as Tata Sons chairman, N Chandrasekaran is stepping down.
In an official statement, Chandrasekaran has said he will not seek reappointment as chairman. He is expected to remain in the role until February 2027, when his current term ends. His exit comes after months of uncertainty over his reappointment.
After spending three decades at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Chandrasekaran inherited a sprawling group in 2017 with businesses ranging from steel and cars to hotels and IT.
Over the next nine years, he pushed Tata into areas that were barely on its traditional business map — semiconductors, electronics manufacturing, electric vehicles, batteries, digital businesses, aviation, and artificial intelligence.
From Old-Economy Giant To New-Age Behemoth
The group moved into semiconductor manufacturing and electronics under Chandrasekaran. It began building battery manufacturing capacity. It expanded its EV ambitions. Tata Digital launched Tata Neu, an online shopping platform. The group also stepped deeper into mobile technology and 5G.
Tata Electronics is setting up a Rs 91,000-crore semiconductor fabrication plant in Dholera, Gujarat, along with a Rs 27,000-crore OSAT facility in Assam. Its battery business, Agratas, is building a 20 GWh cell manufacturing facility in Gujarat.
Then came aviation. Tata Group acquired Air India from the government in 2022. But Chandrasekaran did not stop at buying the national carrier.
The group brought Air India, Vistara and AirAsia India under one broader aviation strategy. Air India and Vistara were merged, while Air India Express and AirAsia India were also brought together as part of the consolidation.
It was one of the boldest bets of Chandrasekaran’s tenure. It was also one of the most difficult. Air India required enormous investment. Its losses have remained a concern even as Tata works to build a global airline group. Tata Sons’ FY26 results showed the scale of the challenge, with Air India’s losses widening sharply.
However, for all the attention around Air India, chips and EVs, the foundation of Chandrasekaran’s legacy was built much earlier. It was TCS.
Before taking over Tata Sons, Chandrasekaran spent 30 years at TCS. He became its CEO in 2009 and remained there until he took over as Tata Sons chairman in 2017. Under his leadership, TCS became India’s most valuable company.
TCS was already a global IT company when Chandrasekaran became CEO. But the business continued to deepen its international presence and its relationships with large global customers.
North America became its biggest market. Europe also became a major growth engine. Today, TCS has more than 584,000 employees and reported FY26 revenue of about $30 billion.
‘One Tata’ Became A Bigger Idea
Chandrasekaran also pushed the idea of “One Tata.” The aim was to make a group of more than 100 companies work more closely, use capital better and create scale where possible.
There were consolidations and demergers. Tata Consumer Products was created by combining businesses of Tata Tea and Tata Chemicals. In aviation, the group moved towards one integrated airline structure. Tata Motors also separated its passenger vehicle business, including EVs, from commercial vehicles.
The AI Shift
Chandrasekaran’s technology background also showed up in the group’s next phase.
The Tata Group has been pushing AI into manufacturing, automobiles and other businesses. In his 2026 New Year message, Chandrasekaran said the group’s new factories were being designed to be AI-first. He also pointed to Tata Motors using connected-vehicle data to predict real-world EV range.
