Ratan N. Tata Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from The Rockefeller Foundation

Honored for his Innovative Approach to Business and Philanthropy

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Jun 25, 2012, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation, celebrating 100 years of global innovation, today unveiled the names of the individuals and institutions that will be honored as part of its second annual Innovation Awards ceremony on June 26, 2012 in New York.

India's Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of Tata Son's, will receive a lifetime achievement award for innovation from the Foundation for thoughtfully incorporating the public good into the business model of the Tata Group. Tata Sons is the promoter of the major Tata companies and holds the majority promoter holding in the Tata companies.

Other award recipients include Sir Ronald Cohen, Chairman of The Portland Trust and Big Society Capital and Director of Social Finance US; J. Carl Ganter, Director and Co-Founder of Circle of Blue; and representatives from the international youth empowerment organization, Design for Change.

The operations of the Tata Group, which include companies like Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Global Beverages, span more than 80 countries across six continents. Since the company's founding in 1868, the Tata Group has made it their mission to return wealth to the communities in which it operates. Sixty-six percent of Tata Sons is owned by philanthropic trusts founded over 120 years ago.

"At the Rockefeller Foundation, we are constantly searching for innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, and we have admired Mr. Tata's work in both the corporate sector and in his personal philanthropy to find these types of solutions as well," said Dr. Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. "We are honored to celebrate Mr. Tata tonight for his vision, the Tata group's leadership, his commitment to innovation in the area of corporate social responsibility and for his commitment to the poor and underserved."

One innovation in particular that stands out is the development of the Tata Nano, the world's most affordable car, which has made an automobile accessible to thousands of families who would otherwise depend on two-wheelers.

Tata will receive his award at the Foundation's annual Innovation Forum, to be held in Manhattan on June 26, 2012. The ceremony will include a fireside chat with Mr. Tata moderated by Dr. Rodin.

Last year's recipient of The Rockefeller Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award was President Bill Clinton.

For a live stream of The Rockefeller Foundation Innovation Awards dinner, please visit: http://centennial.rockefellerfoundation.org/events/entry/innovation-forum-2012if

The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation's mission to promote the well-being of people throughout the world has remained unchanged since its founding in 1913. Today, that mission is applied to an era of rapid globalization. Our vision is that this century will be one in which globalization's benefits are more widely shared and its challenges are more easily weathered. To realize this vision, the Foundation seeks to achieve two fundamental goals in our work. First, we seek to build resilience that enhances individual, community and institutional capacity to survive, adapt, and grow in the face of acute crises and chronic stresses. Second, we seek to promote growth with equity in which the poor and vulnerable have more access to opportunities that improve their lives. In order to achieve these goals, the Foundation constructs its work into time-bound initiatives that have defined objectives and strategies for impact. These initiatives address challenges that lie either within or at the intersections of five issue areas: basic survival safeguards, global health, environment and climate change, urban economic security, and social and economic security. For more information, please visit http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org.

The Rockefeller Foundation Innovation Forum

The Rockefeller Foundation's annual Innovation Forum convenes some of the most creative and inventive minds from the worlds of business, government, civil society and journalism to bring innovation to bear on urgent challenges facing poor or vulnerable people around the world. This year's Innovation Forum will focus on one of today's most pressing issues – how to ensure that the benefits of new technologies do not bypass the world's poor. The Foundation will seek to address this issue by showcasing some of the latest cutting-edge technologies and inviting participants to imagine how these technologies might benefit people around the world. The Foundation will then leverage some of the ideas and recommendations discussed at the Forum to search for new ways of ensuring rapid advancements in technology help those who are most vulnerable.

SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation