Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of one of India’s biggest conglomerates, Tata Sons, has died at 86. On Monday, the industrialist in a social media post had dismissed speculation surrounding his health and had said he was undergoing routine medical investigations due to his age.
“It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr. Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation,” said N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons, in a late night statement. “For the Tata Group, Mr. Tata was more than a chairperson. To me, he was a mentor, guide and friend. He inspired by example. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, and innovation, the Tata Group under his stewardship expanded its global footprint while always remaining true to its moral compass,” said Mr Chandrasekaran.
Ratan Tata became chairman of the $100 billion steel-to-software conglomerate in 1991 and ran the group founded by his great-grandfather more than a hundred years ago until 2012.He founded telecommunications company Tata Teleservices in 1996 and took IT company Tata Consultancy Services public in 2004.
In a role reversal in 2004, Tata Group, an Indian company, having acquired iconic British car brands – Jaguar and Land Rover – found itself cast as reverse colonialists.In 2009, Ratan Tata fulfilled his promise to make the world’s cheapest car accessible to the middle class. The Tata Nano, priced at Rs 1 lakh, became a symbol of innovation and affordability. Tata was twice the Chairperson of the Tata Group conglomerate, from 1991 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017. Although he stepped back from the company’s day-to-day running, he continued to head its charitable trusts.Cyrus Mistry, who succeeded Ratan Tata as chairman of Tata Sons but was later ousted in India’s most high-profile boardroom coup, died in a car crash in 2022. The bitter feud between the two remained unsolved. After stepping down, Ratan Tata became chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, Tata Industries, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Tata Chemicals.Long after retirement, Mr Tata remained a popular figure on social media, with heartfelt posts about animal rights (particularly dogs) and appeals to Indian citizens.
Carrying on a tradition dating back to the time of Jamsetji Tata, Ratan Tata ensured that Bombay House, the Tata group’s headquarters, remained a haven for stray dogs.With over 13 million followers on X and nearly 10 million on Instagram, he was the ‘most followed entrepreneur’ in India, according to the 360 ONE Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2023.
Born in 1937, Ratan Tata was raised by his grandmother, Navajbai Tata, after his parents separated in 1948.He studied architecture at Cornell University, and followed it up with a management course at Harvard.By his own account, the bachelor industrialist came close to getting married on four occasions.He once admitted that he fell in love while working in Los Angeles. But because of the ongoing 1962 Indo-China War, the girl’s parents refused to let her move to India.
