Kohli, Ramadorai, Chandra: Three generations, one technology legacy

There is an interesting way of looking at the story of Indian technology. Instead of looking only at companies, numbers and milestones, look at the people who were there at different points of the journey. Three names immediately come to mind — F.C. Kohli, S. Ramadorai and N. Chandrasekaran.

They belong to different generations, worked in very different circumstances and faced very different challenges. 

Yet their careers have an unusual connection. All three have been part of the TCS story, and each has seen Indian technology move into a new phase. Put together, their journeys tell us something about how far the country has travelled — and perhaps more importantly, how much further it can go.

The Man Who Saw the Opportunity
F.C. Kohli came into technology at a time when India had very little of what we now take for granted. Computers were not everywhere. There was no large technology workforce and certainly no established Indian IT industry with a global reputation. Kohli's belief that India could build this capability was important. He put considerable emphasis on technical education and training and on creating professionals who could hold their own in a rapidly changing technological world.

The significance of his contribution is easy to underestimate today because the industry he helped nurture now seems so established. But somebody had to make the early bet.Kohli did that. He helped give TCS its technological orientation and, in the process, contributed to a larger confidence in India's ability to become a technology nation.

Ramadorai and the Global Journey
By the time S. Ramadorai took over the leadership of TCS, the circumstances had changed. The world had begun to recognise India's engineering talent and the demand for Indian technology services was growing. But having talent was one thing. Building an organisation that could serve major global corporations, year after year and across geographies, was another.

That was the challenge Ramadorai faced. TCS grew significantly during his tenure and became a much more global organisation. It developed the processes, management capabilities and international relationships required to compete on a much larger stage. There was also a change in how the world viewed Indian technology. The conversation slowly moved away from India being simply a lower-cost destination. Indian companies were increasingly being trusted with important technology work. That change in perception was as important as the growth in business. Ramadorai was part of the generation that showed that the foundation created in the earlier years could be turned into something substantial and global.

Chandra Enters a Different World
N. Chandrasekaran's journey has unfolded in yet another environment. By the time he rose through TCS, technology had already become a major part of global business. The nature of the conversation had changed. It was no longer just about software and IT services. Businesses were beginning to use technology to change the way they worked, interacted with customers and made decisions.

Chandra eventually moved from leading TCS to leading the wider Tata Group. That gives his career a particular significance in this story. The technology experience gained within TCS could now be applied across a hugely diversified group. The Tata companies operate in sectors where technology is becoming increasingly important. Automobiles, manufacturing, financial services, communications and consumer businesses are all being reshaped by digital technologies, data, automation and now artificial intelligence.

This is a very different technology landscape from the one Kohli encountered. Technology today is not sitting in a corner of the business. Increasingly, it is part of the business itself.

What Links the Three?
This is perhaps where the story becomes more interesting than three individual profiles. Kohli helped establish the capability and the confidence. Ramadorai helped prove that the capability could be scaled and taken to the world. Chandra is operating at a time when that technology experience can influence a much broader business landscape. The important point is that there has been a continuity between these stages. There was no need for each generation to start again. The next leader inherited something that had already been built, understood what the next opportunity was and moved it forward. That seamless passing of the baton is one of the most striking aspects of the TCS story.

More Than a Technology Company
It is also worth looking at TCS itself in this context. The company has obviously become one of India's most important technology organisations. But its influence goes beyond its own business. Over the decades, it has trained and developed an enormous pool of technology professionals, many of whom have subsequently gone on to leadership positions elsewhere.

That makes TCS an important part of India's corporate story as well as its technology story.And there is a larger lesson here. Institutions become truly valuable when they can outlast individual leaders. The fact that TCS could move through different generations of leadership while continuing to grow says something about the strength of the institution and the culture created around it.

The Road Ahead
The next phase will be very different again. Artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, deep technology and digital infrastructure are opening up opportunities that were barely visible when Kohli began his journey. India now has the talent, experience and global credibility to aspire to a much bigger role.

The opportunity is no longer only to provide technology services to the world. It is to develop technology, create intellectual property, build global businesses and participate more actively in defining the next generation of innovation. India has the talent, experience and confidence to aim much higher. For TCS and the Tata Group too, the foundation built over decades provides a strong platform to play a larger role in the technology space.

The Baton Moves On
The contribution of F.C. Kohli, S. Ramadorai and N. Chandrasekaran should ultimately be seen in this larger context. They did not build India's technology sector on their own. There were many entrepreneurs, engineers, professionals and institutions involved in that transformation. But their careers form an unusually clear thread through it. Each inherited a technology story that was stronger than the one before and added something of his own to it. Kohli helped create the foundation. Ramadorai helped take it to global scale. Chandra has carried that experience into a broader Tata landscape at a time when technology is once again changing dramatically. When Chandrasekaran moved to become Chairman of Tata Sons in 2017, Rajesh Gopinathan succeeded him as TCS CEO and Managing Director, continuing the company’s tradition of leadership transition from within.

The beauty has been the seamless passing of the baton. It was never about simply protecting what the previous generation had built. Each leader advanced it, widened the opportunity and left the next generation with a stronger platform. That is perhaps the most enduring legacy of these three technocrats. They have helped build a great foundation for the Indian technology sector, one that can now grow further, raise the standards of technology and innovation, and give both TCS and the Tata Group an even stronger presence in the global technology space. The journey that began with the early belief that India could become a technology player has travelled a very long way. The baton has moved from one generation to the next, and it is still moving. The next generation now has a stronger foundation, a bigger opportunity and a much larger world to conquer.