How did Ratan Tata meet his millennial manager and best friend Shantanu Naidu, read the untold story here

New Delhi: Age is but a number, while friendship is a feeling that defies the years. Well, such a true bond is shared between Ratan Tata and his best friend Shantanu Naidu. Their friendship has grown beautifully over time, making them more like a family.

Shantanu Naidu, a long-time associate of Ratan Tata, on Thursday, bid farewell to the beloved industrialist, comparing his boss to a “lighthouse”. Sharing a post on LinkedIn, Naidu, a general manager in the Office of RNT, wrote, “The hole that this friendship has now left with me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to fill. Grief is the price to pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse .” Well, the 28-year-old Shantanu Naidu shared a special bond with the millionaire. But how did they meet? Read the full story below.

How did Ratan Tata meet his millennial manager and best friend Shantanu Naidu, read the untold story here

‘Millennial Dumbledore,’ coined by Shantanu Naidu for Ratan Tata’s profound wisdom, Naidu’s friendship with the industrialist grew over their shared love for animals. Indeed, his remarkable journey from an engineering intern to a trusted general manager and close friend of Ratan Tata is truly inspiring.

Reflective Collars For Dogs: Shantanu Naidu and Ratan Tata Inseparable Love For Animals

It all began in 2014 when Naidu, working as an automobile design engineer at Tata Elxsi in Pune, encountered a distressing sight: a dead dog lying on the road. Deeply affected, he decided to take action by developing reflective collars to prevent stray dogs from being hit by cars at night, Naidu in an interview with Brut stated. As demand for these collars grew, Naidu faced challenges due to limited resources.

Encouraged by his father, he hesitantly wrote to Ratan Tata seeking support. Two months later, to his surprise, Tata responded, inviting Naidu to meet him. Moved by Naidu’s passion for animal welfare, Tata decided to support his NGO, Motopaws-a Ratan Tata-backed start-up, which soon expanded its impact with innovative solutions like reflective collars for dogs and sensor-based anti-poaching devices for tigers, reducing animal-related accidents across India.

In 2016, Naidu pursued his MBA at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, where he excelled in leadership, earning distinctions such as the Hemmeter Entrepreneurship Award and the Johnson Leadership Case Competition.

Upon his return, he took on the role of Tata’s assistant, helping with meetings and providing feedback on startups Tata was investing in. He even helped Tata set up his Instagram account. Over the last decade, Naidu has become a close confidant of Tata, and their bond was made public when a video of Naidu celebrating Tata’s birthday went viral, earning widespread admiration across India. Later in 2021, the young boy established another venture – Goodfellows – for the elderly, which was supported by the philanthropist himself.