‘It comes full...’: Ratan Tata’s millennial friend Shantanu Naidu gets top role at Tata Motors, shares emotional post

Shantanu Naidu who is known for a special bond with late industrialist Ratan Tata, has embarked on a new journey following the industrialist and philanthropist’s passing. Mr. Naidu has joined a new position at Tata Motors, becoming the general manager and head of strategic initiatives.

Naidu, 32, shared his career update on LinkedIn. "I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as General Manager, Head - Strategic Initiatives at Tata Motors!" he wrote.

Turning nostalgic, he added, "I remember when my father used to walk home from the Tata Motors plant in his white shirt and navy pants, and I would wait for him in the window. It comes full circle now."

Shantanu Naidu first came to the limelight after a video of him celebrating Ratan Tata’s birthday went viral. Since then, Shantanu Naidu has become a known face in the industry. Although many know Naidu as the founder of Goodfellows and Ratan Tata’s assistant, only a few are aware of how he ended up working for the billionaire.

Born and raised in Pune, Shantanu Naidu graduated from Savitribai Phule Pune University in 2014 with a degree in engineering. After his graduation, Naidu went on to pursue a Masters in Business Administration from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management in 2016. Following graduation, Naidu was hired as an automotive design engineer at Tata Elxsi in Pune. As mentioned in an exclusive report by Your Story, Shantanu Naidu revealed that he would come across dog carcasses that had been run over by speeding vehicles and to resolve this problem, he got the idea to make collars for dogs that would make them visible at night even without streetlights.

Naidu sent a letter outlining his business endeavour to Ratan Tata in an attempt to gain backing for his proposal. He was surprised to receive an invitation from Ratan Tata to meet and talk about the initiative. Two dog enthusiasts met and became friends, which helped Naidu in getting a position as Ratan Tata's assistant. Ratan Tata also invested in Naidu's new company, Goodfellows, which helps senior folks, and he was hired as general manager. According to reports, the startup is valued at approximately Rs 5 crore.