Indian billionaire Ratan Tata passed away at the age of 86

Tata Group, the conglomerate he led for more than two decades, said Indian tycoon Ratan Tata has died at the age of 86.

Tata is one of India’s most internationally recognized business leaders.

The Tata Group is one of India’s largest companies, with annual revenues exceeding $100 billion (£76.5 billion).

In a statement announcing Tata’s death, the current chairman of Tata Sons described him as a “truly extraordinary leader”.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran added: “On behalf of the entire Tata family, I extend my deepest condolences to his loved ones.

“His legacy will continue to inspire us as we strive to uphold the principles he so wholeheartedly stood for.”

During his tenure as chairman of the Tata Group, the conglomerate made several high-profile acquisitions, including the takeover of Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus, and the car brands Jaguar and Land Rover is based in England and Tetley, the world’s second largest tea company.

UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said that Tata was a “giant of the business world” who “played a huge role in shaping British industry”.

A profile published in the Economist magazine in 2011 called Tata a “giant”, crediting him with transforming the family group into “a global power”.

“He owns less than 1% of the shares of the corporation that bears his name,” the magazine said. Yet he remains a giant: India’s most powerful businessman and one of the most influential people in the world.”

In 2012, he stepped down as group chairman and was appointed honorary chairman of Tata Sons, the group’s parent company.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Tata as “a visionary business leader, a kind soul and an extraordinary human being”.

In a tribute to X, formerly known as Twitter, Modi recounted his “countless interactions” with Tata and said he was “deeply saddened” by Tata’s death.

Tata was born into a traditional Parsi family in 1937. He studied architecture and structural engineering at Cornell University in the US.

In 1962, he joined Tata Industries – the group’s founding company – as an assistant and underwent six months of training at a company factory in Jamshedpur.

From here, he went on to work at 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 more than half a century, appointed Ratan Tata as his successor. “He [JRD Tata] was my greatest mentor… he was like a father and a brother to me – and that’s not enough said,” Tata later told an interviewer .

In 2008, the Indian government awarded him the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second highest civilian honor.

Peter Casey, author of The Tata Story, describes Tata as a “humble, reserved and even shy man” who had “dignified composure” and “fierce discipline”.

He was embroiled in a rare heated controversy in 2016, when his successor as Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry was ousted, sparking a bitter management feud. Mistry died in a car accident in 2022.

The business tycoon also has a softer side to him. His love for fast cars and aircraft is well known – the Tata group website describes it as one of his “life-long passions”.

Tata is also an avid scuba diver, a hobby that gradually faded with age “because his ears could no longer handle the pressure”.

He was also a dog lover and fondly remembered the pets that kept him company for decades.

“My love for dogs as pets has always been strong and will continue as long as I live,” the industrialist said in a 2021 interview.

“There is an indescribable sadness every time one of my pets passes away and I am determined not to experience another part of nature. However, two or three years later, my house became too empty and too quiet for me to live. Without them, there is another dog that receives my love and attention, just like the one before,” he said.

He is also often praised for his simplicity. In 2022, a video of him traveling in a Nano car – one of the cheapest cars in the world, now mostly remembered as one of Tata’s failed dreams – went viral on social networks.