Ratan Tata thanks Britain for Knight Grand Cross honour

Tata Group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata has thanked the British government for awarding him one of its highest civilian honours – the Knight Grand Cross – in recognition for the work the Tata Group is doing in the country.

On April 10, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Queen Elizabeth bestowed the Knight Grand Cross award on Tata "for services to England/India relations, inward investment to England and philanthropy."

Mr Tata, 76, is the only Indian among five foreigners to be awarded as part of the 'Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals' for 2014 for services to economic and cultural ties with the UK.

"I am deeply touched and feel greatly honoured to receive the recognition so graciously bestowed on me by Her Majesty. It has been a privilege to endeavor to have our enterprises contribute positively to the growth and standing of the United Kingdom," Mr Tata said in a statement.

“I am also deeply appreciative of the support we have always received personally from Mr David Cameron and his government, through good and bad times. This support and faith have been of immeasurable value throughout.

“But none of what we have been able to achieve could ever have been possible without the unflinching trust, commitment and dedication of the people within our enterprises in the UK. I admittedly have been most closely associated with Jaguar Land Rover where I have witnessed at close quarters the tremendous leadership and the impressive spirit of the workforce working together to achieve the goal we have set – ‘to restore these two venerable English brands to their earlier glory.’ To all these wonderful people, I owe my most grateful thanks.”

At present, the Tata Group is one of the largest manufacturing companies and the largest employer in Britain today with its Jaguar Land Rover and Corus Steel facilities, which together employ nearly 60,000 people.

In 2009, Mr Tata was conferred the Knight Commander by the Queen. This honour came a year after the Tata Group acquired the flagging Jaguar Land Rover. Since then, the luxury carmaker has come into its own, making an amazing turnaround and driving new gains globally.

Mr Tata is also recognised for his contributions across various fields in Britain, including academia. The Sir Ratan Tata Fellowship, now in its 18th year, offered in collaboration with the renowned London School of Economics, offers an eight-month fellowship to PhD scholars in social sciences with experience of research on South Asia to work at the LSE Asia Research Centre. The focus of the fellowship is on the themes of growth and inclusion, climate change and environmental sustainability, social and human security, population and development, and governance and democracy.