Meet Natarajan Chandrasekaran, marathoner and first non-Parsi chairman of Tata Sons

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was appointed the new chairman of Tata Sons on Thursday. The 53-year-old will assume office from February 21 and will be the first non-Parsi to lead the 150-year old group. His appointment was announced after two months of a bitter boardroom battle that followed the unceremonious sacking of Cyrus Mistry from the conglomerate's top management post.

Chandrasekaran has played a prominent role behind TCS's emergence as one of the top-notch information technology service, consulting and business solutions organisations in India. Renowned as an able leader, Chandra is highly familiar with global economic conditions.

Let's have a look at some insights from his life and career:

Chandrasekaran was born in a Tamil family in Mohanur, Tamil Nadu. He currently resides in Mumbai, with his wife Lalitha and their son, Pranav. He has a Masters in Computer Applications from the Regional Engineering College, Trichy in Tamil Nadu.

Also Read: TCS CEO Natarajan Chandrasekaran named new Tata Sons chairman, to assume office on February 21

Moreover, he is a  keen photographer, music lover and a passionate marathon runner who has completed marathons in diverse places such as Amsterdam, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, Mumbai, New York and Tokyo.

Chandrasekaran joined TCS in 1987 and has spent nearly three decades in the organisation and has been described as a Tata lifer. Under his leadership TCS generated consolidated revenues of US $16.5 billion in 2015-16. Under Chandra’s leadership, TCS was rated as the world's most powerful brand in IT Services in 2015 and was recognised as a Global Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute across 24 countries.Chandrasekaran has been the driving force behind TCS' strong positioning in the emerging digital arena, which has helped TCS to weather the changing IT landscape better than some of its peers.

Also Read: Tata top brass witnesses major reshuffle after N Chandrasekaran appointed as CMD Tata Sons

Chandrasekaran has been bestowed with several awards and recognition all through his career. Reserve Bank of India appointed him as director on its board in 2016. He has also served as the chairman of NASSCOM, trade association of Indian IT companies and played the role of Chairperson of the IT Industry Governors’ at the World Economic Forum, Davos in 2015-16.