A man was seen with Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata while he blew the candles on a little cupcake in a recent viral video. Whereas the video was praised for its simplicity, viewers were left wondering who the man accompanying Ratan Tata was. He was obviously someone important because he was the only one present.
It was Shantanu Naidu, the Deputy General Manager of Tata Trusts and Ratan Tata's trusted friend and assistant. The 28-year-old Shantanu has spent the last year and a half working with Ratan Tata, the iconic business leader, investor, philanthropist, and Chairman Emeritus of Tata Group. His responsibilities include supporting Ratan Tata with his start-up investments and providing executive support.
Shantanu is a fifth-generation Tata employee. Despite his family's strong ties to the Tata brand, he never imagined he'd wind up collaborating directly with the man behind it. A common love of dogs connected the two together when Shantanu was working for one of Tata's enterprises in Pune. Naidu was also operating a social venture called Motopaws at the time, which creates glow-in-the-dark collars for stray dogs. Ratan Tata wrote him a letter inviting him to Mumbai after his work was featured in the company newsletter.
Here is the story of Shantanu Naidu and how he landed his dream job with Ratan Tata –
Education and Early Life
Shantanu Naidu was born in the Indian city of Pune. Shantanu Naidu earned his bachelor's degree in 2014 from Pune University. With a degree in mechanical engineering, he began working as a design engineer for the Tata group. Shantanu then went on to Cornwell University's Johnson School of Management to pursue his MBA. He moved to New York in 2016 to get his MBA and then returned to India.
Professional Journey
Shantanu began his career with Tata Technologies as an Engineering Intern. From May 2009 to May 2010, he worked as an intern at Tata Technologies for a year. He joined Tata Elxsi as a Design Engineer in September 2014 and worked there for over a year. According to sources, Shantanu was offered a position as a Business Strategy Intern at Tata Trusts and he worked there as an intern for four years and seven months. Naidu was named Deputy General Manager, Chairman's Office of Tata Trusts in July 2018.
Shantanu Naidu is a professional author in addition to being an engineer. In January 2021, he also released his book, I Came Upon a Lighthouse: A Short Memoir of Life with Ratan Tata.
Inception of Motopaws
On his way home from work one evening, he noticed a dog's lifeless body in the middle of the road. “I realized I needed to do something. Therefore, I sought the help of a few friends and developed a collar with reflectors such that cars could see the dog from a distance. We went around the next day and put these collars on the stray dogs," Shantanu Naidu told Humans of Bombay.
When Naidu was wondering if the collars would be of any service, he awoke the next day to learn that a stray dog had been saved due to the collar. Motopaws, Naidu's great effort, spread like wildfire, and the work was featured in the Tata Group’s newsletter.
Motopaws is now a company that makes a variety of 'glow-in-the-dark' collars for dogs. According to various media sources, Shantanu earns Rs 8.5 lacs each year (approx.). According to sources, he has a net worth of INR 5-6 crores (approx.).
How Shantanu Naidu met Ratan Tata?
Soon after Shantanu's collars gained popularity, an increasing number of individuals approached him to purchase them; nevertheless, he lacked the necessary funds for the endeavor. Naidu's father advised him to write a letter to Ratan Tata, who also adored dogs. Shantanu was initially hesitant, but then he thought to himself, 'Why not?' and wrote him a handwritten letter and promptly forgot about it!
Naidu received a signed letter from the legendary businessman two months later, in which he expressed his desire to see the young employee. Naidu first met with Tata at his Mumbai office. Tata introduced Shantanu to his dogs and promised to fund his dog collar idea.
Shantanu Naidu as Ratan Tata’s Assistant
After establishing Motopaws, Naidu soon left India to get his MBA at Cornell University. He promised Ratan Tata that after graduating, he would devote his life to working for the Tata Trust. Ratan Tata called Shantanu once he returned to India and said, "I have a lot of work to do in my office. Do you want to be my assistant?"
Naidu has been Tata's personal assistant for the past 18 months. Shantanu stated in a recent interview, "People my age have a hard time finding the proper group of friends, the right mentor, and the right kind of boss. But I can't believe I found all of these people in one superhuman named Mr. Ratan Tata. People lovingly refer to him as Boss, but I like to call to him as the Millennial Dumbledore —I believe that name best describes him."
Bond between Shantanu Naidu and Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata, a veteran businessman, is also an admirer of Shantanu's innovative ideas. According to various sources, Naidu assists Ratan Tata with his personal investments in startups. Shantanu has captivated Ratan Tata's heart with his work. Furthermore, Ratan Tata has a great conviction in the country's startup environment, which may explain why firms that receive Ratan Tata's support frequently see a big growth in value. According to sources, Shantanu provides Ratan Tata with business advice for investing in companies.
