The deep friendship between Ratan Tata and Shantanu Naidu, appointed General Manager, Head of Strategic Initiatives, Tata Motors, bloomed from their shared love and concern for dogs.
In a heartfelt interview, referred to by a news portal, Naidu recounted his emotional reaction to discovering a dead dog in the road in 2014, a sight that haunted him for months. This experience made him determined to create reflective collars to safeguard stray dogs from accidents at night.
Reflective collars alert drivers to the dog’s presence in low-light conditions and reduce the risk of an accident.
As the demand for these collars grew, Naidu faced challenges owing to limited funding. Encouraged by his father, he wrote to Tata for support. To his surprise, two months later, Tata granted him an audience.
Impressed by Naidu’s compassion and vision, the business tycoon backed the young man’s NGO, Motopaws.
In 2016, Naidu pursued an MBA at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management in the US, where he received prestigious honours for leadership roles, including the Hemmeter Entrepreneurship Award and the Johnson Leadership Case Competition.
During his time in the US, he stayed in touch with the esteemed industrialist, assisting Tata by taking notes during meetings and providing insights on new startups.
After completing his studies, Naidu joined the Office of RNT, Tata’s private office, following an impactful tenure at Tata Sons. He continued to pursue socially significant projects beyond his designated roles, with the unstinted support of his generous mentor.
Interestingly, Naidu’s family too had an association with the Tata Group. It’s reported that his father was employed at the Tata Motors plant in Pune. His grandfather and great-grandfather were employed at the Tata Power hydroelectric project in Bhira, Maharashtra.
In his will, Tata has reportedly named Naidu his executive assistant, even relinquishing his stake in the latter’s companionship company, Goodfellows, a startup dedicated to providing companionship for senior citizens without a support system.
He waived a personal loan Naidu had taken for overseas education.
Naidu has published a memoir, I Came Upon a Lighthouse, which offered a window into Ratan Tata’s personality beyond his business empire.
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