To enable a company achieve the best of its potential, it is prerequisite that radical changes are initiated in the direction towards its goal and Ishaat Hussain, Chairman, Voltas, has been precisely doing the same. It's no wonder that Voltas was recently on the throes of a major change which was driven to retain a position of leadership in the Indian market. Growth-oriented steps like restructuring and downsizing were undertaken, all thanks to Ishaat who has been the driving force behind the new initiatives.

A man of diverse talents, Ishaat completed his schooling from the Doon School and joined St. Stephens College Delhi for his graduation in Economics. A Chartered Accountant from England and Wales, Ishaat also attended the Advanced Management Programme at the Harvard Business School. He joined the Board of the Indian Tube Company (a Tata Steel associate company) in 1981. Thereafter, he moved to Tata Steel in 1983 after Indian Tube was merged with Tata Steel.

Known for his action-oriented approach, Ishaat joined the Board of Tata Sons as an Executive Director in 1999 and is Finance Director of Tata Sons Ltd. Prior to joining Tata Sons, he was the Senior Vice President and Executive Director - Finance in Tata Steel for almost 10 years. On the Boards of several Tata Companies viz. Tata Steel, Tata Industries, Tata Teleservices, Titan Industries Limited, Ishaat is a member on the Primary Markets Advisory Committee of the Securities Exchange Board of India.

It was in 2005 that Ishaat was appointed as a Member of the Board of Trade. Besides being chairman of Voltas and the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Ishaat is a member of the Tata Group Executive Office, which formulates strategy at the Group level. He is also a member of the SEBI committees on insider trading and primary capital markets and also of the CII finance committee.

Ishaat has been with the Tatas for over 30 years and has seen the group's transition from the era of monopoly business to the intense competition of the present days. As finance director, Tata Sons, member of the Group Executive Office and chairman of Voltas, Ishaat's mission is to increase shareholder value. A member of the newly-formed Tata's Group Executive Office (GEO), Ishaat is also a member of the business review committee of the GEO, which periodically reviews Voltas' strategy and performance.

During his long career, Ishaat has been through many ups and downs but has remained unscathed. He is well aware of the new challenges facing the Tata group and is currently busy putting together new plans for future success of the company. And with a leader like him leading the Company, one can only hope of bright future for Voltas.