Rise of N Chandrasekaran: Ascending from a TCS intern to the chairman of Tata Sons
Born into a family of farmers and raised in Tamil Nadu, working endlessly in farms, finally grabbing an internship at TCS, and then becoming the chairman of Tata Sons.
N Chandrasekaran was born in 1963 in a small town called Mohanur located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Completed his bachelor’s degree in Applied Sciences from Coimbatore Institute of Technology. He earned his Master of Computer Applications (MCA) from the Regional Engineering College in Tiruchirappalli.
N Chandrasekaran joined TCS in 1987 as an intern. He was named the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TCS 20 years later. In times when people are choosing to switch multiple jobs to stay afloat, rather than sticking to one organization for many years to come, the case of N Chandrasekaran is an interesting one.
When Ratan Tata decided to step down as the leader of Tata Sons in 2017, he handed it to Chandrasekaran and appointed him as the Tata Sons chairman.
N Chandrasekaran was being paid Rs. 65 crore in 2019. In 2021-2022, his salary jumped to Rs. 109 crore. The Tata Group Chairman owns a Rs. 98 crore duplex flat in Mumbai which is located in the same vicinity as Antilia, the residence of Mukesh Ambani and his family.
The documentary, ‘Working: What We Do All Day’, which premiered in May on Netflix, offers rare glimpses into N Chandrasekaran’s personal life. It shows how hard N Chandrasekaran had to work on his father’s farm, and how he eventually decided to quit working there and headed in a different direction.
When questioned about the future of technology innovation, Chandrasekaran listed out the steps he would like his company to take. “Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT services company, is significantly investing in building artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, including AI-powered products and platforms,” said Chandrasekaran.
