New Delhi:

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran has been conferred Honorary Knighthood by the United Kingdom for his services to the UK-India business relations, the group said on Friday.

He has been conferred “The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Civil Division) – honorary DBE/KBE”.

In a post on X, the group said Mr Chandrasekaran received “an Honorary Knighthood by His Majesty, King Charles for services to UK-India business relations”.

Commenting on the recognition, Mr Chandrasekaran said, “I would like to express how proud we are at the Tata Group to maintain such a strong strategic relationship with the UK across the technology, consumer, hospitality, steel, chemicals, and automotive sectors.” He further said,”We are incredibly proud of our iconic British brands like Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley. We employ more than 70,000 people in the UK.” The Tata Group enjoy fruitful and world-class research and academic partnerships with great institutions in UK which include the University of Oxford, the London School of Economics, the University of Warwick and the University of Swansea, he added.

“I would also like to express, on behalf of the Tata Group, my deep thanks to HM Government for their support for the Group. It is a strong and enduring relationship, and I look forward to strengthening our presence in the UK further,” Mr Chandrasekaran noted.

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Sunil Bharti Mittal, the Founder and Chairperson of Bharti Enterprises, was awarded the Honorary Knighthood by King Charles III in the United Kingdom. Mr Mittal is the first Indian to receive a Knighthood from King Charles. 

He was awarded the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. KBE is among the highest honours conferred by the British Sovereign to civilians. It is awarded in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals. 

“I am deeply humbled by this gracious recognition from His Majesty, King Charles. UK and India have historical relations, which are now entering a new era of increased cooperation and collaboration,” Sunil Bharti Mittal said.

“I remain committed to working towards strengthening the economic and bilateral trade relationships between our two great nations. I am thankful to the Government of the UK, whose support and keen attention to the needs of business has been critical in making the country an attractive investment destination,” he added.

Sunil Bharti Mittal was conferred with Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour, in 2007. He served as Chair of the B20 India Action Council on African Economic Integration during India’s G20 Presidency. He is also a serving Commissioner at the International Telecommunication Union/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. 

Knighthood, the Knight Commander (KBE), is conferred for a pre-eminent contribution in any field of activity (usually, but not exclusively, at the national level), or in a capacity recognised by peer groups as inspirational and significant nationally and demonstrates sustained commitment.

The KBE is awarded in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals. While the Knighthood conferred on UK nationals gives them the title of Sir or Dame, non-UK nationals conferred with the Honour, add KBE (or DBE for women) after their name instead of using titles such as Sir or Dame. Previous recipients of the Honorary KBE include Ratan Tata (2009), Ravi Shankar (2001) and Jamshed Irani (1997).