People
A Family of Presidents & CEOs
by VENKATACHARI JAGANNATHAN
Ten years after joining General Electric (GE), Tejpreet Singh Chopra is now the president and CEO of GE India. Effective June 1, 2007, he heads all the GE businesses in the country.
Prior to this promotion, Tejpreet Singh was in charge of GE Commercial Finance India and, before that, he was senior vice- president and country head for India of GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS), the commercial aircraft leasing and financing unit of GE.
In 2005, he moved from the unit's headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, to open a GECAS office in Delhi and has since arranged more than $1 billion in financing for India's growing airline industry.
Since joining GE in 1996, Tejpreet has held positions in marketing, structured finance and risk management, at both Stamford and Hong Kong at GECAS. He also managed global sales for the regional jet program at GECAS.
Curiously, he belongs to a unique family, consisting entirely - it appears - of corporate presidents and CEOs.
His father, septuagenarian J.S. Chopra, heads Delphi TVS Diesel Systems Limited, Chennai. His mother, Sangeet, runs a furniture business in Chennai.
His sister, Praneet Dubber, is an architect.
The father and son duo are alumni of New Delhi's prestigious St. Stephens College - while the former majored in science, the latter studied economics.
After his graduation, Tejpreet's father went to Sheffield University, UK, for a BE (Hons) in electricals. He also earned a degree in advanced engineering from Manchester College of Science and Technology and is a fellow of the Institute of Marketing and Management.
Currently, he is on the executive committee of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association. He is also a member of the governing council of the Automotive Research Association of India and the Indian Society of Automotive Technology, as well as the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Apart from his involvement with professional bodies, he is equally well known in sports administration; he is the vice president of the Tamil Nadu Olympic Association and president of the Tamil Nadu Aquatic Association.
Tejpreet Singh, the son, went to Cornell for an MBA after graduating in economics.
On the extra-curricular front, he used to represent the Tamil Nadu state in swimming events. Similarly, sister Praneet was also a state-level swimmer.
So how does it feel with CEOs at home? "Nothing special," J.S. Chopra says. He agrees that the management styles and the philosophies certainly differ. "Mine is in an old-economy company, whereas Tejpreet heads a retail finance corporation."
Business is rarely ever a topic of discussion at the family dining table. "Sometimes, my son calls me up for clarifications on something or the other. Otherwise, at home, we discuss only family affairs."
According to him, his passion for work is what continues to drive him, even at seventy.
[Photos: Thumbnail; top of this page; first from bottom; and third from bottom - Tejpreet Singh Chopra. Second from bottom: J.S. Chopra.]
Conversation about this article
1: Lakshmi Narasimhan (Australia), January 07, 2011, 5:06 AM.
I have known Mr. J.S. Chopra since 1965 while working for Lucas_TVS. He was unique, a gentleman to the core and approachable. Last met him in his Chennai office in June 2007. Am sure TVS will award him in a year or two for half a century of service to the automobile component industry. He has been with Lucas-TVS from 1963. He was also awarded Marketing Man of the Year in 1975.