RATAN TATA, Chairman, Tata Group

Controls India's largest Business Conglomerate, the Tata group, with
sales of over Rs250,000 crore


Ratan tata, 71, Dominated the head lines moer than any other business
figure in India in 2008.Admitedly , he could have done with out some of the Publicity But if 2007
was about steel for Tata, 2008 was about cars. The best of the year was perhaps the beginning , When
he rode in to the Delhi Auto Show in a Nano, the much- awaited 'Rs1 Lakh Car'. The Car
which was slarted to hit the roads by the end of the year, however, met more than its fair share of pothols
as Bengal politician Mamata Banerjee led a 'People's Movement' against the acquisition of land for the factory
Two other cars -- British icons Jagaur and Land Rover -- too brought
much cheer when they were acquired in March, but the Economic slowdown has been the sales of one plummet.
Tighter credit conditions have made the acquisitions costlier than expected ,even as a sharp dip in steel prices has streched cash flows at the
group's steel business. Perhaps , the terrorist attack on taj , the group's flagship hotel un Mumbai, best showcased the two sides of Ratan Tata's 2008
-- Unexpected challenges and his will to overcome them.