Ratan Tata, the man who transformed the Tata Group into a global giant through high-profile acquisitions, passed away at the age of 86, the Tata Group confirmed in a statement late Wednesday. Tata, who led the conglomerate for over two decades, had been receiving intensive care in a Mumbai hospital, according to sources close to his medical situation.
Born into one of India's most influential industrial families, Ratan Tata pursued a degree in architecture from Cornell University before returning to India in 1962 to work for the group his great-grandfather had founded nearly a century earlier. He gained experience across various Tata companies, including Telco, now known as Tata Motors, and Tata Steel. He left a strong mark on the National Radio & Electronics Company (NELCO), turning around losses and increasing market share.
In 1991, Ratan Tata took over as chairman from his uncle, JRD Tata, just as India was entering a new era of economic liberalization. The reforms opened the doors to global markets, and Tata seized the moment to modernize the group. One of his first moves was to bring in younger leadership, enforcing retirement ages and pushing for more centralized control over the sprawling group’s companies.
He founded Tata Teleservices in 1996 and took Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the group's most profitable division, public in 2004. However, Tata soon realized that the group needed to expand beyond India to grow in a meaningful way. “It was the quest for growth and changing the ground rules to say that we could grow by acquisitions, which earlier we had never done,” he explained in a 2013 interview with the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
This vision led to several landmark acquisitions that put the Tata Group on the global map. In 2000, Tata acquired British tea company Tetley for $432 million. Seven years later, the group purchased Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus for $13 billion, which was the largest-ever takeover of a foreign company by an Indian business at the time. In 2008, Tata Motors acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for $2.3 billion, adding luxury automobile brands to the conglomerate’s portfolio.
At Tata Motors, Ratan Tata was personally involved in two of his favorite projects: the Indica, India’s first homegrown car, and the Nano, an ultra-low-cost vehicle aimed at making car ownership affordable for the masses. While the Indica was a commercial success, the Nano faced challenges due to safety concerns and missteps in marketing, ultimately leading to its discontinuation a decade later.
Known for his quiet demeanor and humble lifestyle, Ratan Tata never married. He was also a licensed pilot and would occasionally fly the company plane. His philanthropic side was equally prominent; about two-thirds of Tata Sons, the group’s holding company, is controlled by charitable trusts that fund a variety of social causes.
However, his tenure wasn’t without controversy. In 2016, a public feud erupted after Cyrus Mistry was removed as chairman of Tata Sons. Ratan Tata, then chairman emeritus, was accused by Mistry of interfering in the company’s operations, while the Tata Group cited Mistry’s failure to revive underperforming businesses as the reason for his ouster.
After stepping back from active leadership, Ratan Tata became a significant figure in India’s startup ecosystem. He invested in a variety of companies, including digital payments platform Paytm, Ola Electric, and home services provider Urban Company.
Throughout his life, Ratan Tata received numerous accolades, including the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, in 2008 for his exceptional contributions to trade and industry.
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