(WS News) – Ratan Tata has died at age 86, the Tata Group has said.
In a statement on X, the company said: “It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader.”
The firm is one of the largest companies in India and Ratan Tata is credited with transforming it into the globally renowned conglomerate it is today.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chair of Tata Sons and Tata Group, added: “On behalf of the entire Tata family, I extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones.
“His legacy will continue to inspire us as we strive to uphold the principles he so passionately championed.”
The news comes a few hours after it was reported that he was in critical condition in a Mumbai hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Tata as a visionary leader and a compassionate and extraordinary human being.
He said on X: “He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses.
“At the same time, his contribution went far beyond boardrooms.”
Ratan Tata was born in a traditional Parsi family in 1937. He studied architecture and structural engineering at Cornell University in the US. After graduating, he returned to India.
In 1962, he joined Tata Industries – the promoter company of the group – as an assistant and spent six months training at a company plant in Jamshedpur.
From here, he went on to work at the Tata Iron and Steel Company (now Tata Steel), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and National Radio and Electronics (Nelco).
In 1991, JRD Tata, who had led the group for over half a century, appointed Ratan Tata as his successor.
Tata later told an interviewer: “He [JRD Tata] was my greatest mentor… he was like a father and a brother to me – and not enough has been said about that.”
In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second-highest civilian honour.
Peter Casey, author of The Story of Tata, described Tata as a “modest, reserved and even shy man” who had a “stately calm” about him and a “fierce discipline”.
