N Chandrasekaran meets Italy PM Giorgia Meloni as Tata-Iveco deal takes centre stage

N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, Tata Motors and Iveco Group, met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday at Palazzo Chigi as strategic industrial and economic ties between Italy and India continue to grow.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of the transaction bringing Iveco Group and Tata Motors together to establish one of the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturers.

The Tata-Iveco transaction is a significant development in the growing industrial and economic relationship between the two countries.

Chandrasekaran's meeting with Meloni comes as India and Italy continue to deepen their strategic ties, with businesses playing an important role in strengthening economic links between the two countries.

PM Modi's Italy visit

The latest meeting comes months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to Italy on May 19-20, 2026, at the invitation of Meloni.

During the visit, Modi and Meloni decided to elevate India-Italy relations to a Special Strategic Partnership, giving a fresh push to cooperation between the two countries. The two leaders also agreed to hold annual meetings and regular ministerial and institutional-level discussions.

India and Italy also set a shared target of taking bilateral trade to €20 billion by 2029. The two countries said they would encourage greater industrial and technology partnerships and build more resilient supply chains.

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Trade, technology and critical minerals

The partnership is spread across several sectors, including automotive, semiconductors, clean technologies, energy, pharmaceuticals, digital technologies, critical raw materials, ports and infrastructure.

India and Italy also agreed to strengthen cooperation on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and welcomed an agreement on maritime transport and ports.

Technology is another key area of the partnership. The two countries agreed to deepen cooperation in science, innovation, startups and artificial intelligence, while also announcing INNOVIT India, an innovation hub aimed at connecting the two countries' startup and innovation ecosystems.

Defence and wider strategic cooperation

The relationship has also expanded into defence and security. India and Italy agreed on a defence industrial roadmap, while cooperation has also grown around critical minerals and other strategic areas.

The May visit followed earlier high-level engagement between the two countries, including Modi's visit to Italy for the G7 Summit in June 2024 and Meloni's visit to India for the G20 Summit in 2023.

Chandrasekaran has been Chairman of Tata Sons since 2017. Before taking charge of the Tata Group, he spent more than three decades at Tata Consultancy Services and became its CEO and managing director in 2009.

He currently also chairs Tata Motors and Iveco Group, putting him at the centre of the Tata Group's latest expansion in the global commercial vehicle industry.