Tata advertises its respect for WMG founder Lord Bhattacharyya
Tata Group has taken out a newspaper advert to pay tribute to Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, who died earlier this month.
Lord Bhattacharyya was the founder of Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and one of the driving forces of the Midlands’ manufacturing sector.
The tribute, which was published in the Financial Times on Friday, described him as “simply a visionary”.
It said: “[He] was a rare breed of individual who had an impact across the spectrum of business and academia. He was an ardent evangelist for technology and business, working tirelessly with industry, academia and government to create favourable outcomes for all.
“Whether it was encouraging Tata to buy Jaguar Land Rover and help revive the iconic British brands; his long-time advocacy to bring manufacturing investments to the West Midlands, UK, where he lived and taught; or setting the standards of academia-industry collaboration at Warwick University, Lord Bhattacharyya often acted as a bridge between multiple stakeholders. He built and nurtured excellent relationships with governments across the world, including China.”
The 700-word tribute said Lord Bhattacharyya “will be missed but will never be forgotten”.
Lord Bhattacharyya began his career as graduate apprentice at Lucas before gaining an MSc and PhD in engineering production at the University of Birmingham.
In 1980, he became Professor of Manufacturing Systems at the University of Warwick and set up WMG – and remained its chairman four decades later.
It has become one of the world’s top applied research centres, combining academic excellence and global business results.
During the organisation’s lifespan, Lord Bhattacharyya has brokered partnerships, including Jaguar Land Rover’s acquisition by Tata, advised industry and governments internationally and sat on the UK Council for Science and Technology. He is also a Fellow of The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering.
He was appointed a CBE in 1997, knighted in 2003 for services to education and industry, and made a life peer in 2004.
