Harsh Goenka plays guessing game for Tata Sons' new chairman

At a time when speculation is rife over who will take over as the chairman of the multi-billion dollar Tata Sons, RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka took to Twitter with a poll of his own to figure it out. Listing five names he thinks would be perfect to lead the conglomerate, Goenka’s poll pooled in hundreds of responses from his followers. The business leader replied to several comments, adding his opinions on who would be a good choice, and why.

TCS CEO N Chandrasekaran topped his list, followed by Bank of Baroda Chairman Ravi Venkatesan, GlobalFoundries CEO Sanjay Jha, Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani. While many people suggested PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi’s name, Goenka replied, “I understand she (Nooyi) wants full control. But Tatas are managed through influence. Cultural mismatch?”

Other suggestions ranged from KV Kamath to Ajay Banga, who Goenka heartily approved of, and finally, to Ratan Tata himself. But Goenka has his heart set on the TCS CEO. “Chandrasekar would be my first seed. He’s youthful, knows Tata ethos, phenomenal track record, integrity, acceptability.” About former Softbank President Nikesh Arora, Goenka had this to say, “He (Arora) may not fit into Tata culture. Too aggressive!”.