JOIN USCountry’s top industrialists Ratan Tata and Naushad Forbes are in the race for the post of the IIT-Bombay’s chairperson after it fell vacant with the expiry of Anil Kakodkar’s term on May 11.
The board of governors of the premier technical institute has recommended the names of the two along with others which are under consideration of the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry. “The ministry has begun procedure for selection,” sources said.
As per procedures, HRD Minister Smriti Irani will select one of the candidates from the panel of names sent by the IIT-Bombay and recommend the same for approval of President Pranab Mukherjee. The chairperson of the IIT’s board of governors is nominated by the President of India, who happens to be the visitor of the institute.
Tata, who retired from all executive responsibility in the Tata group in 2012, is the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons and heads the Tata Trust. A recipient of many honours and awards, including Padma Vibhushan in 2008, Tata was recently in news for his latest investment in a Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi.
Forbes, Director of the Forbes Marshall and vice-president, Confederation of Indian Industry, is PhD in Industrial Engineering. He also holds BAS in Industrial Engineering and History from the Stanford University.
He was a consulting professor in the Management Science and Engineering programme at Stanford University and is also associated with the IIT-Bombay as a member of the institute’s advisory council.