This Indian Will Head Jaguar Land Rover ! Here’s How? Meet PB Balaji

Something unusual is happening at one of the world’s most iconic luxury car companies. A quiet shift. A powerful change. For the first time ever, the person sitting at the very top of Jaguar Land Rover won’t be British, German, or American. Instead, it’ll be someone from India. Not a celebrity, not a billionaire, but a name many have never heard before. PB Balaji. Who is he? And how did he reach the driver’s seat of such a legacy brand?

Not long ago, a boy named Pathamadai Balachandran Balaji from Tamil Nadu walked into IIT Madras with big dreams. Years later, he joined IIM Calcutta and stepped into the corporate world with quiet confidence. That boy is now the first-ever Indian to lead Jaguar Land Rover. But how did he get here? What makes his journey so different?

This story isn’t just about a promotion. It’s part of a larger legacy that started when Tata Motors acquired Jaguar Land Rover from Ford Motor Company in June 2008. The $2.3 billion all-cash deal was bold. Risky. Many doubted it. But Tata didn’t just buy the Jaguar and Land Rover brands—it took over their plants, design centers, and global sales network. At that time, JLR was losing money. Today, it’s a profitable and respected part of the Tata Group, and Balaji’s rise reflects how far this journey has come.

The announcement came on August 5, 2025, via NDTV. Balaji, who is currently Group CFO at Tata Motors, will take over in November 2025 after current CEO Adrian Mardell retires. Balaji joined Tata Motors in 2017. Since then, he has played a key role in managing the group’s finances and guiding major decisions.

Before Tata, he spent over two decades at Unilever, holding senior finance roles across countries like India, the UK, Singapore, and Switzerland. His long corporate journey and understanding of global business give him the right tools to lead a brand like JLR in this fast-changing auto world.

What also stands out is that Balaji is not new to JLR. He has served on the Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc (UK) board since 2017. He is also involved with several other Tata Group companies including Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, Titan, and even Air India. This shows how deeply he’s trusted across the Tata Group.

The appointment sends a strong message. It shows that Indian talent is not only growing but is now leading legacy brands globally. It also highlights Tata Group’s confidence in its internal leadership. As the auto industry shifts to electric and connected mobility, a leader like PB Balaji—known for strategic vision and calm leadership—comes at just the right time.

So yes, a man who once described himself as a “sous-chef to his wife” in an old interview, is now set to cook up strategy at the highest level of global auto business.