Mr. Ratan Tata honoured with ‘Swiss Ambassador’s Award for Exceptional Leadership’
In a solemn ceremony attended by leading industrialists and thought-leaders, Swiss Ambassador Philippe Welti on October 16, 2011 honoured Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group with ‘Swiss Ambassador’s Award for Exceptional Leadership’.
Swiss Ambassador‟s Award conceptualized in the year 2010 recognizes individuals who have contributed to the promotion of Indo-Swiss bilateral relations or have stood out for their exceptional role in the society and industry.
Acknowledging Mr. Ratan Tata‟s contribution to not just Indian but global business world, Swiss Ambassador Philippe Welti expressed that successful Swiss business leaders view Mr. Tata as one of the few exceptional leaders. Ambassador further said, „„Among Switzerland‟s strongest economic pillars are its „Outward Foreign Direct Investments‟, in India and elsewhere. India‟s move in the opposite direction seems to have started with Tata Group in Switzerland! This is one of the reasons for Swiss Ambassador‟s pride and initiative to have this celebration honouring Mr. Ratan Tata with our Exceptional leadership Award.‟
The Ambassador summed up his speech by commending Mr. Ratan Tata‟s virtues of socially responsible behaviour and averring that this virtue is not limited to those at the top, but rather that social responsibilities can take anybody to the top.
In his acceptance speech Mr. Tata conveyed his respect for Switzerland for what it stands for, „democracy in its truest form and the efficiency and the precision with which the whole country and all its people perform.‟ He added that whatever he has been able to do within the group could never have been done alone and that he owed it to his colleagues who make happen whatever has happened in the Tata group.
Mr. Ratan Tata recognised late Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc, as an exceptional leader who despite not consciously trying to be a leader made a difference to the lives of millions of people by doing what he believed was right.
Earlier, Mr. Ravi Chaudhry, Chairman, CeNext Consulting & Investment who has authored the book „Quest for Exceptional Leadership - Mirage to Reality’, introduced the concept of exceptional leadership, in his address to the distinguished gathering. He vividly described the evolution of a new fifth phase of human enterprise, driven by (a) increased demand for social consciousness, (b) need to function in sync with society & environment and (c) clarion call for sharing & caring. “This transformation, “he said, “is redefining the criteria of success as well as re-contouring the routes to success. A company that makes only money is now considered to be a poor company.”
He concluded by saying that, “Corporate CEOs hereafter would need to inculcate a new set of traits, pertaining to the heart of the leader, the traits of Wholeness, Compassion and Transparency. Mr Ratan Tata is among the select few business leaders in our planet today who have already reached the portals of Exceptional Leadership. As we honour him by conferring Exceptional Leadership Award on him – he honours us as well by accepting this award.”
Later Mr Jean-Pierre Lehmann, Professor of Political Economy at IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland, initiated a candid conversation with all those who spoke on the occasion. In response to his question, „What would you say are the lessons and the key principals that are required for trying to ensure once again that Karl Marx was wrong and that capitalism will not self destruct?‟ Mr Tata responded by saying, „If I could pick on what you said about a legacy, I think that legacy that a true leader would like to leave behind and that it would be an unconscious move, that it would manifest itself in true the leadership of that person, would be to leave behind a legacy of the fact that he made a difference; that he improved the quality of life of the people that he served; and that there was nothing that he did which was in a manner speaking for himself-it may have been reflected on him, but he did it because he considered he was doing the right thing. I don‟t know that makes Karl Marx wrong or right!‟
Swiss Ambassador‟s Award 2010 was conferred on Mr. Yash Chopra for his remarkable contribution to Indo- Swiss people to people relations through his movies.
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