India: Ratan Tata, entrepreneurial giant, dies at 86

Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of the Indian conglomerate Tata Sons and the main architect of its global expansion, died yesterday at the age of 86. The Indian multinational announced this in a note. Known as one of India’s greatest captains of industry, Tata led one of the country’s largest conglomerates from 1991 to 2012. Born in 1937 into a Zoroastrian family that founded the group of the same name, Tata joined the company in 1962, becoming its fifth president. in 1991. During his 22 years at the helm, the group’s sales increased seventeen-fold. Tata Sons’ global profile rose significantly in 2007 with the acquisition of European steelmaker Corus for $12 billion. The deal was followed the following year by another high-profile deal to buy British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover for $2.3 billion.

Known for his ties with Japan, Ratan Tata has formed partnerships with Japanese companies such as trading giant Mitsubishi Corp. and mobile operator NTT Docomo. In 2012, the Japanese government awarded him the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun for his contribution to strengthening relations between Japan and India. Ratan Tata was less successful in finding a successor: the position of chairman of the group was given in 2012 to Cyrus Mistry, a relative by marriage, but tensions between the latter and the Tata family led to his dismissal in 2016. Tata returned as interim president after Mistry, then chose Natarajan Chandrasekaran as the seventh permanent president. Mistry sued the Tata Group after his dismissal, but the Indian Supreme Court recognized the group’s reasons in 2021. Commenting on the entrepreneur’s death with a message about “a business visionary, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being” . He has provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious companies.

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