With better resources and more decision-making power, David Smith, CEO - JLR, sees things improving for the company under Tata ownership...
David Smith, the new CEO at Jaguar-Land Rover (JLR), is upbeat about the company’s future, which is now in the hands of Ratan Tata. Due to the combination of better resources and autonomy of decision-making, Smith feels that the decision making process at JLR will be faster under the Tatas. He added that financial constraints had made life difficult under Ford ownership earlier.
‘Tata wants us to be autonomous – I've got all the executive authority I need to make both the day-to-day and long-term executive decisions, without having to consult with Ratan Tata and Ravi Kant, my fellow board members,’ says Smith.
‘We can make decisions quickly – that's what will be most different from life at Ford. What we have seen of Tata is that it is a very principled organisation, with corporate social responsibility high on the agenda, but which works differently from the US or European model,’ says Smith. ‘In terms of governance, we have set up a small strategy board – Ratan, Ravi and me – and we will meet every couple of months and review progress on plans, strategies and future products,’ he adds.
Smith, who expects product-related ideas to come from Ratan Tata, and inputs on cost-effective engineering to come from Ravi Kant, also expects JLR to utilize the expertise of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), with regard to inputs in the area of information technology.
