Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group, hailed the high-quality human potential and the strong bureaucracy in Tamil Nadu.
Delivering his keynote address on the topic ‘Tamil Nadu as an ideal investment destination’ at the Global Investors Meet in Chennai on Monday, he recalled the Group’s experience in the State while venturing into various businesses.
On a personal note, he recalled, “I did my schooling in Tamil Nadu. Coming from Mumbai, what I learnt is the priority given for education in the State.”
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“When Ford set up its operation in India in a joint venture with the Mahindra Group, Tamil Nadu was not our choice. We were looking for locations in the north. It was the Ford team that told us Tamil Nadu is the place to be. The quality of human resources is great,” he said.
“The Ford experience helped me make a personal decision to set up Mahindra Research Valley here,” Mr. Mahindra said.
He said some of his colleagues had pointed out the issue of setting up the Research and Development (R&D) facility away from the manufacturing plant. “But I felt research is about talent, intelligence and creativity. The Mahindra Research Valley is the pride of our business and group with blockbuster products,” he said.
Mr. Mahindra said aspects such as infrastructure, ports and technology advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI) were important to look out for growth, but the quality of human capital was more significant.
He also dismissed the notion that AI would one day take over from humans. “Technological changes are always frightening. AI will become a companion to creative minds,” he added.
