The multi-tasker

JLR IS WAITING TO REBOOT UNDER BALAJI. ONCE KNOWN FOR ITS STYLISH SEDANS WITH POWERFUL ENGINES, IT IS AIMING TO REPOSITION ITSELF AS AN ULTRA-LUXURY ELECTRIC VEHICLE BRAND

- SWARAJ BAGGONKAR

THE ABILITY TO multitask comes in handy in the job of a chef. Right from planning and designing menus to procuring raw material and managing inventory, all the elements must come together perfectly for that harmonious balance of flavour, texture and taste.

Tata Motors' subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover's newly anointed CEO PB Balaji—a sous chef to his wife in the family kitchen—will require all of those skills as the company faces a global sales decline in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 amid legacy model wind-down and the US tariff shock that raised prices of its vehicles in one of its most significant North American markets.

Then there is also the blow-back from JLR's recent much-vaunted rebranding that has been trashed by critics as 'seriously woke'. But the 54-year-old knows a thing or two about juggling challenges.

In four years, Tata Motors has transitioned from net debt to net cash, thanks to an impressive performance by subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which became debt-free last year.