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00:00CS Setty, chairman of SBI, who tells us about his experiences and interactions with the
00:05visionary leader Ratan Tata.
00:08Yeah, it's indeed a great loss to the nation in general and the industrial landscape in
00:20the country.
00:21We have a very deep relationship as SBI with the Tata Group dating back to early 20th century.
00:34And we've been associated with Tata Group across their business segments, be it steel,
00:42Tata Motors, you name the company.
00:45I think most of the major companies of Tata Group, we are the bankers to them.
00:51And what is very striking in our relationship is the mutual understanding and mutual respect
00:58for each other's values and the protection of that value system of SBI as well as Tata
01:06Group has been phenomenal.
01:08I think I'm sure the personality behind this extremely valuable corporate governance in
01:16the Tata Group has been Sri Ratan Tata, to that extent, yes, it is a great loss for all
01:23of us that we lost an iconic leader in the industry.
01:29So based on your interactions with Tata Group, as well as Mr. Tata himself, what were the
01:36two, three standout circumstances, situations with regard to corporate governance or beyond
01:44from a value system perspective that maybe you can highlight, would be great perspective
01:51for viewers and us on a day like this?
01:53No, no, sure.
01:55I think the comfort most of the lending community, almost, almost every lender in the system
02:05had with the Tata Group is their commitment to honoring their obligations to the lenders,
02:11come what may.
02:12Under most difficult circumstances, also, they've never had a rethinking and honoring
02:18their commitments.
02:19I think we've been part of many of their acquisitions and new age business segments, which they've
02:26entered.
02:27For instance, we were part of Korus Acquisition, we were part of JLR Acquisition.
02:35Whatever the difficulties, these post acquisitions have happened, they never have come back to
02:41the lenders and said that, you know, we will not be able to meet any obligations.
02:46The most important event, which I would like to share with all of you is when Tata Tele
02:52Services was not doing very well, they came back to the lenders and said that, you know,
03:00we would like to pay back all the loans.
03:04In fact, every rupee under Tata Tele Service debt obligations were met.
03:08Not only that, the way the Tata Tele Services business has been handled in terms of protecting
03:15the employees, protecting the lenders, protecting the vendors, I think it was an amazing chapter
03:23in the Indian corporate history, in my view, in terms of how the corporates have to deal
03:29with the Indian banking system is something which is to be written in golden letters,
03:37the way they handle the Tata Tele Service.
03:38There are many such incidents where, you know, we have been time and again, have been conveyed
03:46that the value system of Tata Group is paramount to them than anything else.
03:53I think this has been the greatest legacy Ratanji has left for all of us to emulate.
04:01Case study in itself, right, sir, and the fact that he actually handed over leadership
04:07to someone who was independent, who's not essentially from the family, but is independent
04:13and of course, has taken up the role with such great capability and has done so well
04:21over the last, you know, maybe four to five years, the way in which Tata Stocks have performed,
04:26this goes on to prove, right, sir, that, you know, some of the decisions they make really
04:31stand out.
04:32Absolutely.
04:33Absolutely.
04:34I fully agree with you.
04:35I think it is also a foresight.
04:38I think many, many of you have written and said that the Tata Group not only had continued
04:47to improve upon their conventional industries, but they brought a lot of innovation.
04:53And I also have been pioneering entering into many industries, which are sunrise industries
04:58as we speak now, whether it is semicon industry or defence industry.
05:03I think they've done phenomenally well in terms of reimagining and staying relevant
05:08to the changing times.
05:10I think that is a greatest, you know, compliment, which we can always pay to the Tata Group
05:18under Sridhar Sanjay and of course, Mr. Chandra.
05:22Right.
05:23And so my last question is on the fact that both SBI and Tata Group are known for two
05:30major pieces.
05:31One is the kind of scale both of you as organizations have.
05:36And second is the longevity of both SBI as well as Tata Group.
05:43Just talk us through what you believe was the secret sauce.
05:48And isn't Mr. Tata really the essence of that to try and kind of eclipse that?
05:54Just give us some perspective.
05:55You know, you are very right.
05:59I think both the groups have the legacy, which every one of us try to improve upon.
06:07I think the effort of the leadership in both the groups has been that, how do you maintain
06:14the DNA of the value system and live up to the expectations of the people?
06:19Apart from the size and longevity, let me also tell you that both of us are household
06:24names in various forms, you know, we are associated with every Indian family and we touch several
06:31Indians every day and every moment of their life.
06:36And this casts a greater responsibility for groups like SBI and Tata Group.
06:43And I think the leadership and every one of the employees who work in these groups strive
06:50to live up to that expectation that there are crores of people who are consuming our
06:56services and goods and they trust us.
07:00And this trust can never be belied or, you know, denied.
07:05And that is the fundamental DNA of these groups for their successful reinvention and
07:11reimagination, staying relevant across the generations.