Jamshed J Irani, the Steel Man of India passes away at 86
If you have been born and raised in India, you are definitely familiar with Tata conglomerate, especially Tata Steel. After all, it’s one of the most successful indigenous companies in India. However, recently, Tata suffered a loss when a Tata Steel veteran Jamshed J. Irani, often deemed as the Steel Man of India passed away on 31st October at TMH, Jamshedpur.
He was 86 years old and is survived by his wife Daisy Irani and three offsprings, Zubin, Niloufer and Tanaaz and has left behind a legacy of his own that earned him, his family and his company a long line of accolades.
Irani was involved with Tata Steel for more than four decades (he joined in 1968) and had retired from the board in June 2011. Apart from Tata Steel, Irani was also associated with Tata Sons, Tata Motors and Tata Teleservices and will be remembered as a visionary who led Tata Group from the front. In fact, his contribution to the growth of the steel industry in India is unparalleled.
Born on 2nd June 1936 in Nagpur, Irani was greatly interested in the field of science and innovation since his teenage years. As a result, he pursued a Bachelor of Science degree from Science College Nagpur and graduated in 1956. He also earned his Master of Science degree in Geology from Nagpur University in 1958. The following year he received a J.N. Tata scholarship and had the opportunity to attend UK’s University of Sheffield. There, he secured a Masters degree in Metallurgy in 1960 and even went on to become a doctorate in the same field in 1963.
Out of university, Irani instantly got a job in British Iron and Steel Research Association, however, he longed to come back and serve his country. Thus, in 1968, Irani, after having earned several educational degrees and work experience returned to India and joined the then Tata Iron and Steel Company (now Tata Steel) as an Assistant to the Director in charge of Research and Development. Ten years down the line, Irani was promoted to the role of General Superintendent and since then there was no looking back. In 1979, he further promoted to become a General Manager and by 1985, he was appointed as the President of Tata Steel. Thereafter, in 1988, he went on to become the Joint Managing Director of Tata Steel before finally becoming the Managing Director in 1992. In 2001, he retired from his active role but stayed as a Board Member cum Non-Executive Director for another decade.
Interestingly, he earned the nickname Steel Man of India while serving as the National President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) between 1992-93. He was later (in 2004) also appointed as the Chairman of the Expert Committee for the formation of the New Companies Act of India.
During his lifetime, Irani was a recipient of several accolades, thanks to his exemplary career. Some of the notable honours include International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1996, Honorary Knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 (for contribution to Indo-British Trade and Cooperation), Padma Bhushan in 2007 and Lifetime Achievement Award by Government of India in 2008 (for contributing to the field of metallurgy).
Pioneer of the quality and customer satisfaction movement, Irani’s contribution to turn Tata Steel into the lowest-cost steel producer in the world has been unparalleled. In addition, Irani also lend his hand to the empowerment of India’s youth and thus launched Tata Education Excellence Programme that has been running successfully since 2003.
Besides being a man of science, Irani was also deeply interested in sports and followed cricket closely. He was also a passionate collector of stamps, coins, metals and minerals; a hobby that he pursued till his last breath.