With a doctorate in metallurgy from the University of Sheffield, England, Dr. Irani began his career in 1963 as Senior Scientific Officer at the BISRA, Sheffield. In 1968, he joined The Tata Iron and Steel Company Ltd. (TISCO). He was appointed General Superintendent in 1978, General Manager in 1979, and Managing Director in 1992. After holding the CEO’s office for almost a decade, he retired as the Managing Director of Tata Steel in July 2001. He continues as a Director on the Board of Tata Steel.

“The whole IIM Lucknow community is looking forward to learning from the able and visionary leadership of Dr. Jamshed J. Irani’, says Dr. Devi Singh, Director IIM Lucknow.

In Tata Steel, Dr. Irani transformed the company into the sophisticated steel company it is today, both in physical form and attitude. He is looked upon as the ‘change agent’, which has made the steel behemoth a force to be reckoned with in the steel manufacturing world. Dr. Irani’s personal commitment to quality served as a model for the workforce of Tata Steel to follow, bringing about continuous improvement in all aspects of their work. Tata Steel is now recognized as one of the lowest cost producers of steel in the world.

He has received a number of awards recognizing his contributions to the company and industry. Prominent among them are the Ernst & Young’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award, 2001’ for entrepreneurial success and the ‘Twelfth Willy Korf Steel Vision Award’ from World Steel Dynamics and American Metal Market. Dr Irani has also been awarded the Qimpro Platinum Standard in November 2000, and has received the Indian Merchants’ Chamber’s Juran Quality Medal for the year 2001, for his role as a statesman for quality.

At its Annual General Body Meeting held on July 10, 1996, the Royal Academy of Engineering, London elected Dr. Irani as a Foreign Member and he is amongst the five Indians who have been bestowed with this honour. On October 14, 1997 in Delhi, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II conferred on Dr. Irani an Honorary Knighthood (KBE), for his contributions to Indo-British Trade and Co-operation.