Knight of the Grand Cross

"The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the… GBE (Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire) for Ratan Naval Tata, KBE (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire), for services to UK/India relations, inward investment to the UK and philanthropy,” was the announcement issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on April 10, 2014. Former Tata group head, Tata is the only Indian among five foreigners to be awarded as part of the Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals for 2014, mentions The Indian Express (IE) of April 12, 2014.

Ratan Tata: lifting UK’s financial fortunes

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has often praised the Tata group for single-handedly lifting Britain’s manufacturing fortunes, hailing the £ 500 million investment by Tata Motors in a new plant in that country. "We congratulate Jaguar Land Rover for the investment they are making, which epitomizes what we need to happen to the British economy…This shows Britain has an amazing high-tech, advanced manufacturing future.”
Acknowledging that he was "deeply touched” for being chosen as one of the five honorees, Tata issued a statement that read: "It has been a privilege to endeavor to have our enterprises contribute positively to the growth and standing of the UK. I am also deeply appreciative of the support we have always received personally from Mr David Cameron and his government, through good and bad times,” mentioned Hindustan Times in its issue of April 17, 2014.
The honorary chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, Tata had earlier been conferred the KBE in 2009, a year after the group had acquired the British luxury car brands Jaguar Land Rover which were not doing well at that time. The Tata group has since revived the fortunes of the company as well as emerged as one of the largest employers in Britain, with a workforce of nearly 60,000 (including those employed by steel manufacturer Corus – editors) in the UK, IE reports.
Nor have Tata’s other contributions gone unnoticed. The Sir Ratan Tata Fellowship, which works with the London School of Economics (LSE), is now in its 18th year. This eight-month fellowship enables scholars in the social sciences with experience of research in South Asia to work at the LSE Asia Research Centre, IE concludes.