Ratan Tata, former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, died on Wednesday night at a hospital in Mumbai. He was 86 years old.
Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran confirmed Tata’s death, calling him a “friend, mentor and mentor” in a statement. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Tata was admitted this week to Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai, where he lived. Tata issued a statement on Monday shortly after his hospitalization, saying there was no cause for concern in his health and that he was undergoing tests for age-related conditions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Tata as a visionary leader, a caring and extraordinary human being.
“He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious companies. At the same time, his contributions went far beyond the boardroom,” Prime Minister Modi told X.
“Mr Tata was beloved by many for his humility, kindness and unwavering commitment to bettering society,” Modi said, referring to his philanthropy in his eulogy.
Businessman Harsh Goenka called him a “giant”.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai said Tata leaves behind an extraordinary business and philanthropic legacy and was instrumental in guiding and developing modern business leadership in India.
“In my last meeting with Google’s Ratan Tata, we talked about Waymo’s progress, and hearing his vision was inspiring,” Pichai told X.
“He cared deeply about making India better,” he added.
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries, said: “This is a very sad day for India and India Ltd. The passing away of Ratan Tata is a great loss not only for the Tata Group but for all Indians. It’s a big loss.”
“Now that he is gone, all we can do is focus on following his example,” Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra told X.
Mr. Tata was awarded the Padma Bhushan Award, one of India’s most prestigious civilian awards, in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan Award in 2008.
Tata Group’s vast empire
The Tata Group is a vast conglomeration of about 100 companies, including the country’s largest automaker, the largest private steel company, and a leading outsourcing company. These companies employ more than 350,000 people worldwide. In June 2008, Tata acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for $2.3 billion.
Tata pioneered commercial aviation in India by founding the airline that later became Air India in 1932. Then the government took over.
Tata Group acquired state-owned Air India in 2021. It also founded the full-service airline Vistara with Singapore Airlines, which recently merged with Air India.
Tata companies include Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power and information technology company Tata Consultancy Services.
The company surprised the auto industry in 2009 with the Tata Nano, a small car with a rear-engine engine priced at around 100,000 rupees ($2,000 at the time). It is billed as the “people’s car” and can carry up to five adults. Tata said it would provide “safe, affordable, all-weather transportation” to millions of middle- and low-income Indians.
However, due to poor sales of this small car, the company discontinued production in 2018.
Tata graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He joined the Tata Group in 1961 and succeeded JRD Tata as chairman of Tata Sons after his retirement in 1991. He took the helm of the conglomerate just as India was opening up its economy to the world and embarking on major reforms that ushered in an era. of high growth.
In December 2012, Tata stepped down as chairman of Tata Sons. He served as interim chairman from October 2016 following the dismissal of his successor, Cyrus Mistry. He returned to retirement in 2017 when Natarajan Chandrasekaran was appointed chairman of the Tata Group.
