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.

Remembering Mr Tata’s contribution to philanthropy, Mr Chandrasekharan said “from education to healthcare, his initiatives have left a deep-rooted mark that will benefit generations to come”.

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.

Mr 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.

Early Life
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.

Honours
In 2008, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second- highest civilian honour. He had received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest, in 2000.

Largest Shareholder In Tata Group
The largest shareholder in Tata Group is another Parsee businessman Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, whose 18% stake is worth 5 billion pound. His son-in-law, Noel, is also Ratan Tata’s half brother.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences on the death of Ratan Tata, one of the country’s top industrialists, calling him “a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being”.

“He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses. At the same time, his contribution went far beyond the boardroom. He endeared himself to several people thanks to his humility, kindness and an unwavering commitment to making our society better,” read PM Modi’s post on X, formerly Twitter.

Shri Ratan Tata Ji was a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being. He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses. At the same time, his contribution went far beyond the boardroom. He endeared… pic.twitter.com/p5NPcpBbBD

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 9, 2024

Ratan Tata, 86, died in Mumbai today after a log ailment. 

In his message Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekharan described him as “a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation”.

“Mr. Tata’s dedication to philanthropy and the development of society has touched the lives of millions. From education to healthcare, his initiatives have left a deep-rooted mark that will benefit generations to come,’ he added.

Ratan Tata – few names carry more weight and evoke more reverence amongst India’s 145 crore people and, in a land no stranger to scandals, fewer still do so with such little blemish. 

Born December 28, 1937, Ratan Tata was the eldest son of Naval Tata, who was the adopted son of Sir Ratanji Tata. He was educated at some of India’s finest schools and he graduated with a degree in architecture from Cornell, an Ivy League institution, in New York.

His parents separated when he was 10 years old and young Ratan was brought up by his grandmother, Navajbai Tata, a redoubtable figure by all accounts and one who instilled in him a sense of dignity and a strong moral core.

He began his career on the Telco (now Tata Motors) shopfloor – an unglamorous job scooping limestone into blast furnaces. It was hot, sticky, and back-breaking work.

But his grandmother taught him well; Mr Tata persevered, and, in 1991, he replaced JRD Tata as Chairperson of Tata Sons, the Tata Group’s parent company.

He held that position twice – from 1991 to 2012, when he retired the first time, and from 2016 to 2017, when he was an interim appointee following the sacking of Cyrus Mistry.

Mr Tata was awarded a flood of medals and accolades, including India’s third- and second-highest civilian honours – the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008. He was also feted by the governments of Singapore, Italy, France, Japan, and Australia, and made an honorary knight of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

Business Legend 

Mr Tata was an astute businessman and industrialist who transformed the Tata Group – from an India-centric and largely disparate collection of companies into a streamlined and (hugely) profitable corporate behemoth with global interests and revenue sources.

Under his stewardship the Tata Group – even then an Indian brand recognised worldwide – became home to British automotive giants Jaguar, and Land Rover, American luxury hotels chain Ritz Carlton, and Italian aerospace manufacturer Piaggio (sold in 2015), among others.

There were, of course, more, including the $407 million acquisition of Tetley Tea and the (frankly frightening) $12 billion purchase of European steelmaking goliath Corus Group.

In 22 years as Chairperson of the Tata Group, profits and revenues grew a staggering 50 and 40 times; in 2011-12 the latter breached the $100 billion mark for the first time.

The years, though, were not without controversy.

At the head of that particular list is probably the Tata Tapes scandal, and then there was the political battle over land in Bengal for a factory to build the Tata Nano microcar.

When he finally stepped back, he did so from the business world and not from his many (many) charitable causes, which included supporting education and healthcare development through the 105-year-old Tata Trusts, one of India’s oldest grant-bestowing foundations.

The Philanthropist Years

And thus began the second innings of his life – as a philanthropist and beloved national leader praised for his simplicity and humanity, all too rare traits amid the frenzy of the day. 

In a world where talk is plentiful, and always hyperbolic, Mr Tata acted. 

In March, at a sprightly 86, he opened a state-of-the-art Rs 165 crore hospital spread across 20+ acres for small animals, including dogs, which held a special place in his large heart. 

Mr Tata’s love for dogs is the stuff of legend. Ask the strays at the Tata Group’s Mumbai HQ or, better, the scruffy and portly canine that now calls the city’s Taj Mahal Hotel home.

Under Ratan Tata’s watchful eye, the Tata Group and Tata Trusts have also invested in improving the country’s healthcare systems, as well as the fight against diseases like cancer.

Over the years Mr Tata and his family’s companies have also donated billions of dollars in grants to educational institutions, including $70 million to the University of California, San Diego and $50 million to his alma mater; the latter doesn’t include the $28 million for a scholarship fund to help Indian undergraduate students study at the prestigious school.