Meet man, a close aide of late Ratan Tata who was once an intern, later became general manager at Tata Motors, he is...

Leading philanthropist and industrialist Ratan Tata passed away on October 9, 2024, leaving behind an indomitable legacy of passion and compassion. Veterans from all walks of life - be it politics, film industry, or business - paid an emotional tribute to Ratan Tata, recalling his valuable contributions in various spheres of life. 

One of the many names that made headlines after Ratan Tata’s demise is that of his 31-year-old millennial manager Shantanu Naidu. Naidu shared a close bond with Ratan Tata, deeply  rooted in mutual respect and love for each other. In a heartfelt post on social media post the industrialist’s demise, Shantanu Naidu described him as his “lighthouse” and wrote, “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 we pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse..”

Who is Shantanu Naidu?

Shantanu Naidu completed his engineering from Savitribai Phule Pune University in 2014. He went on pursue his MBA from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management in 2016. He met Ratan Tata through a thoughtful letter he wrote to him on his father’s advise. Deeply moved by Tata’s compassion towards animals, he penned a letter to him, informing him about his project for stray dogs. Interestingly, Ratan Tata responded to his letter within two months. 

Ratan Tata invested in his project and thus, went on to become a mentor and guide to him. The bond further deepened after Naidu joined the Tata Group to work as General Manager at Tata Motors. Later, he also became Ratan Tata's assitant. Moreover, he is also the founder of Motopaws, which works towards the welfare of stray dogs.