"The renovation... the first in its (94-year-old) history has revolved around designing for the employees a more modern, collaborative and informal workplace equipped with the best of technologies and security systems,” noted Tata Group chairman N. Chandrasekaran in a press release about the reopening of its global headquarters Bombay House. Shut for renovations for nine months, the refurbished building was inaugurated by Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata on July 29, 2018 to coincide with the 114th birth anniversary of former chairman, J. R. D. Tata. The year 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the Group’s founding. The four-storey heritage building retains its Edwardian neo-classical façade but "has undergone energetic refurbishment and restoration...The fresh look, in terms of aesthetics and functionalities, reflects the changing workplace at the Tata Group — open, agile, future-focused and yet deeply connected to its rich heritage,” said the write-up.
Top: N. Chandrasekaran (l) with Ratan Tata;
above: Bombay House
Photo: Farrokh Jijina
A digital exhibition center on the ground floor captures the heritage, history, social good as well as the current and future offerings of the Group from inception till today. "The endeavor behind this is to inspire and remind the future generations and all of us, (of) the values and ethos with which this Group was set up and has been functioning for the last 150 years,” noted the write-up. Enhanced natural lighting, semi-formal collaboration zones that facilitate team working are some aspects that have been kept in mind. A kennel has been created for the "canine friends” who have been an integral part of the building for decades. In the "One Tata spirit,” the products and services of several Tata companies were deployed to see this project to an end. The work was executed by noted architect and urban conservationist Brinda Somaya.
According to news reports, ex Group chairman Cyrus Mistry has, on August 3, moved the appellate body of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) against their order, challenging his removal as chairman of Tata Sons in 2016. The Group had been accused by Mistry of lapses in corporate governance, but charges were dropped by NCLT on July 9. Addressing senior executives, Ratan Tata said that the Group could not have become a USD 100 Bn conglomerate through "mismanagement” and "unethical procedures.” He was speaking at a leadership summit (for the first time since he stepped down as Group chairman in 2012), on the same day as the reopening of the headquarters. Tata said that "the challenge for us is the quest to do... what the country needs, doing it profitably, and by being farsighted,” The Times of India reported on July 30.