TCS chief Natarajan Chandrasekaran has a tough task cut out. For this marathon runner and music aficionado, steering Tata Sons Ltd, the holding company of the $100 billion salt-to-software Tata Group, will be the biggest challenge of his life.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran (53) takes over from 78-year-old Ratan Tata, who assumed charge as Interim Chairman on October 24, 2016 after Cyrus Mistry was ousted when the Tata bosses lost confidence in him. Popularly known as Chandra, he is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT solutions and consulting firm of the Tata Group, a position he has held since 2009.

A technopreneur known for his ability to make big bets on new technology, Chandrasekaran has been driving TCS’ strong positioning in the emerging digital economy with a suite of innovative digital products and platforms for enterprises, some of which have since scaled into sizeable new businesses.

Born in 1963, Chandra has spent his career in TCS, joining the company in 1987 after completing Masters in Computer Applications from Regional Engineering College, Trichy (now National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli) in Tamil Nadu.

Under his leadership, TCS generated consolidated revenues of $16.5 billion in 2015-16. With over 3,71,000 consultants, TCS has become the largest private sector employer in India with the highest retention rate in a globally competitive industry. TCS remains the most valuable company in India ending 2015-16 with a market capitalisation of over $70 billion. TCS was also rated as the world's most powerful brand in IT Services in 2015 and recognised as a Global Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute across 24 countries.