'You are a true friend of France.' Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran receives Légion d'Honneur, highest French civilian honour

Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran was awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, the highest French civilian honour, on Wednesday. The France government conferred him with the award for strengthening the trade relationship between both countries.

The official Twitter handle of Tata Group shared a picture of the special moment on the micro-blogging platform. In the pictures, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna could be seen presenting him with the honour.



Colona, alongside some pictures of Chandrasekaran from the ceremony, said that the Tata Group plays a crucial role in the Franco-Indian partnership.

"I had the pleasure of presenting its CEO, on behalf of the President of the Republic, with the insignia of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur," she wrote in her caption.


The 59-year-old auto boss was accompanied by his wife Lalitha and son Pranav.

Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, took to Twitter to thank Chandrasekaran for his contribution to strengthening the ties. "Dear Natarajan Chandrasekaran, you are a true friend of France," he tweeted.


Congratulating Chandrasekaran, Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) Director General Payal S Kanwar - who also met the Tata boss at the event - said that she was "impressed to learn that there are currently 10 Tata group companies operating in France."

In her appreciation post on Instagram, she said she discussed the best running shoes with Chandrasekaran, who is an avid marathon runner.

She further wrote, "The Tata family has deep-rooted ties with France right from JRD Tata who was half French and born in Paris to Ms Simone Tata who was incidentally one of the founders of IFCCI. The recent historic order of 250 Airbus A320neos and A350s along with 800 Safran motors for Air India has further boosted business between both countries!"

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A post shared by Payal S. Kanwar (@payalskanwar)

Meanwhile, Chandrasekaran also met the world's second richest man and Tesla CEO Elon Musk before a Monday meeting during the sixth edition of the 'Choose France' summit, in Versailles, outside Paris, France.

Musk and Chandrasekaran were seated next to each other during the meeting.

As the world has its eyes fixed on the star-studded 76th Cannes Film Festival, France President Emmanuel Macron wants to woo investors to help 're-industrialise' the country and reduce Europe's dependence on China and the US.

More than 200 international business leaders met on Monday for an event staged at the Palace of Versailles to promote foreign investment.