Homi Khusrokhan to head Tata Chemicals

In a top-level reshuffle, Homi Khusrokhan has been appointed managing director of Tata Chemicals. Khusrokhan takes over from Prasad Menon who has been moved to Tata Power as its managing director. The MD post had been lying vacant at Tata Power after Firdose Vandrewala quit in August 2005 to join Tata Teleservices. The appointments are effective March 16, 2006.

Khusrokhan has been with Tata Chemicals as its executive director. Prior to which, he was managing director at Tata Tea from 2001-04.

Vandrewala had taken over as managing director from Adi Engineer at Tata Power in August 2002 prior to which he was with Tata Steel as deputy managing director. After Vandrewala quit to join Tata Teleservices, Engineer had come out of retirement to handle the day-to-day affairs of the business.  Engineer will continue to be on the board of Tata Power as director.

Menon, during his six-year tenure with Tata Chemicals, had increased the global  footprint of the company, starting with a 50 per cent partnership in Indo-Maroc Phosphore SA with Chambal Fertilizers and global phosphate major, OCP of Morocco. Earlier this year, it was followed up with the acquisition of Brunner Mond, UK, making Tata Chemicals the third largest producer of soda ash globally.

A chemical engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Menon had also worked with the Nagarjuna group and ICI.