– Indian tycoon Ratan Tata dies at 86
From Jaguar to Land Rover, he made the Tata group a global giant. His retirement in 2012 has not dampened his influence.
Published today at 7:40 a.m.
Ratan Tata, who transformed the Tata Group into a world-renowned conglomerate, has died at the age of 86.
AFP/Fabrice COFFRINI
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Indian entrepreneur Ratan Tata, who transformed the group that bears his name into a global conglomerate, has died at the age of 86, he announced on Wednesday.
“It is with a deep sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr. Ratan Navel Tata, a truly extraordinary leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation,” wrote Tata Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a statement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Mr. Tata a “visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being.”
Sports cars
Mr. Modi paid tribute to him for providing “stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious companies”, which under his leadership became a sprawling international business ranging from software to sports cars.
Born in 1937 in Bombay, Ratan Tata wanted to become an architect and was working in the United States when his grandmother, who raised him, asked him to return home to join the family business, founded in 1868.
He cut his teeth in a Tisco workshop (now Tata Steel), near the blast furnaces, living in an apprentice hostel.
He took over the family empire in 1991, riding the wave of liberal reforms that India was then implementing.
Jaguar and Land Rover
Mr Tata’s 21 years at the helm of the salt-to-steel conglomerate saw the group expand to include British luxury car brands such as Jaguar and Land Rover.
The hard-core bachelor retired in 2012, but then kept an eye on his empire, even taking over the business for a few months four years later. He has since been honorary president.
Companies in the Tata empire achieved more than $165 billion in revenue in 2023-24, surpassing $365 billion in market capitalization at the end of the financial year at the end of March.
The Tata Group said its philanthropic work had “touched the lives of millions”.
Remarkable initiatives
“From education to healthcare, his initiatives have left a profound mark that will benefit generations to come,” he added.
Several business leaders paid tribute to Ratan Tata, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The India native praised Mr. Tata’s “extraordinary contribution” to entrepreneurship and philanthropy, adding that the tycoon “had a deep interest in making India better.”
“India’s economy is at the cusp of a historic leap forward. Ratan’s life and work have largely contributed to placing us in this position,” said the chairman of the Indian conglomerate Mahindra, Anand Mahindra, on X.
Bollywood star, actor Salman Khan, for his part declared on X to be “deeply saddened” by the death of Ratan Tata.
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