mumbai the role of the 53yearold noel tata just got bigger in indias biggest conglomerate on the 106th birth anniversary of jrd tata setting tongues wagging yet again on it being a step in the groups succession plan for top job the reclusive tata who grew the retail business more than 10fold in less than a decade will be managing director at tata international a leather and engineering trading company with presence in 10 african nations a region where it wants to double revenues to 1 billion in two years the tata group that has kept everyone guessing on the successor to ratan tata the 73yearold chairman due to retire in two years on thursday said we pledge to sustain his legacy in advertisements commemorating jrds birthday it declined comment on speculation noel tata may succeed ratan africa is one of the largest markets and any business plan needs to be tested there to succeed said a senior tata sons executive on the move to appoint noel to head tata international he did not want to be identified the assignment may well be a test for noel tata to prove his mettle to get the throne while tatas are a household name in india its increasing revenues from overseas markets and highprofile acquisitions such as jaguarland rover are yet to give it a kind of an international profile commensurate with its size despite the fact that 65 of the groups revenues now come from outside india the tata brand is still not well known in various countries says business historian morgen witzel who has authored a book on the tata brand while some know that tatas make steel and chemicals and are into software knowledge about them is largely sketchy overseas shareholders and management gurus are eager to learn how ratan tata eventually guides succession planning while some believe that the group requires a professional as a head instead of someone with the surname given the sprawling empire others think that a family member could be more committed to the businesses to carry on the value system the successor i would hope would have integrity and our value systems in the forefront and hopefully would carry on the path that we have tried to set for the companys growth ratan tata told a conference in november tatas are remembered by the masses as much for their hospitals educational institutions such as the indian institute of science and tata institute of social sciences than for their businesses above all it needs someone at the helm to keep echoing what ratan tata said about remaining steadfast on the nanos rs 1lakh price tag at launch a promise is a promise nothing better reflects the groups values than what jrd tata said i do not want india to be an economic superpower i want india to be a happy country at the same time the horizon has expanded under ratan tata with steel and automobile acquisitions in the uk for billions of dollars