Published on July 29, 2024
The Tata group commemorated the 120th birth anniversary of JRD Tata on July 29, 2024, at the prestigious Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, in Mumbai. The annual JRDQV function witnessed the attendance of Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata and N Chandrasekaran as well as mentors, team leaders and Tata colleagues. Over 700 Tata colleagues attended in person, while over 2,500 joined virtually.
The ceremony commenced with a warm welcome from Vinod Kumar, Assistant Vice President, Tata Business Excellence Group (TBExG), followed by the traditional lighting of the divo by Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran. This symbolic act set the stage for the day.
Click here to view photographs of JRDQV 2024
Sanjeev Singh, Vice President and Head, TBExG, provided an update on the Group's strides towards excellence. In 2023, 15 companies participated in Business Excellence Assessments, which involved over 180 Assessors from 45 companies, 23% of which were women. Sanjeev highlighted that two companies have achieved Benchmark Leader status, while 12 others are now Industry Leaders. Notably, the number of companies at or above Industry Leader level has grown from three in 2019 to 14 in 2023. Beyond Business Excellence, Sanjeev touched on advancements in Safety Excellence, Data Excellence, Cyber Excellence and Social Excellence. He concluded stating, “Participating in the excellence journey is a unique opportunity for Group companies to introspect and improve, and for employees to develop leadership capabilities. After all, excellence is not a static destination, it is a perpetual journey.”
It was time for the awards presentation then, which commenced with the Data Excellence Awards. Vinod invited Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran and Sanjeev on stage to present the awards. This year, two group companies were honoured in the Data Excellence categories. Tata Chemicals received the Active Promotion of Data Excellence Award, while Tata Play was awarded the Significant Adoption Award for their respective achievements in the Data Excellence Assessment process of 2023.
Following this, the Business Excellence Awards were presented to six companies across three categories. Tata BlueScope Steel received the Active Promotion Award, while mjunction services and Tata International were acknowledged as Emerging Industry Leaders. This year, three companies were conferred with the Industry Leader recognition, and also the prestigious JRDQV Award: The Indian Hotels Company, Tata Communications, and Tata Steel Downstream Products. Each of the winners showcased a short film highlighting their growth journeys and leaders from these companies addressed the audience briefly.
Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran delivered a compelling address, emphasising JRD Tata's enduring influence on the Group's culture and values of excellence. He expressed gratitude to Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata for initiating the awards and formalising the Business Excellence framework. Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran also painted a positive picture of the global economic landscape, highlighting a stabilised GDP and inflation, and India's robust growth of 7.5%. He noted increased domestic demand, consumption, and digital infrastructure, with a growing retail investor base. Encouraging Group companies to actively participate in India's growth story, he presented financial and performance updates of various Tata companies. Lastly, he emphasised a dual focus on customer and employee experience, stating “We have several goals, but how do we create a culture with customer experience as the number one focus. And the second priority is employee experience. We do both of this, and the rest will take care of itself.”
A networking break preceded a soulful sitar recital by maestro Pandit Ravi Chary and his group of performers. The performance was particularly fitting, given the venue's history as a platform for the performing arts, co-founded by JRD Tata himself.
Vinod concluded the event by expressing gratitude to all attendees, both in-person and online, as well as the winning companies.