Ratan Tata, the man who created the Tata global empire, passes away

Ratan Tata, the former chairman of the Tata Group, who played a key role in the success of the Indian conglomerate and became a major player through a series of important acquisitions, has died at the age of 86, according to a statement by the group. He was receiving care after his health deteriorated in a Mumbai hospital.

Who is Ratan Tata? After earning a bachelor's degree in architecture from Cornell University, Ratan Tata returned to India and began his career at the Tata Group, founded by his great-grandfather nearly a century ago, in 1962.

During that period, he worked in a number of group companies such as (today known as Tata Motors) and Tata Steel, and later distinguished himself with major reforms at the National Radio & Electronics Company, where he succeeded in turning its losses into profits and increasing its market share.

Ratan Tata took over the leadership of the group in 1991 after his uncle JRD Tata stepped down, at a time when India was implementing major economic reforms that opened its economy to the world and ushered in a new era of rapid growth.

In his first steps, Ratan Tata worked to reduce the influence of some of the group's company heads, set a retirement age, and enhance opportunities for young people in senior positions, in addition to tightening control over the companies.

In 1996, he founded Tata Teleservices, and in 2004 he listed Tata Consultancy Services, the IT giant and the group's main source of profits. However, to achieve the desired growth, the group decided to expand its horizons and look at opportunities outside India.

ratan tata career In a 2013 interview with Stanford Business School, Ratan Tata said, "The goal was to grow and change the rules of the game, to prove that we could grow through acquisitions that we hadn't done before."

In 2000, the Tata Group acquired British tea company Tetley for $432 million, and in 2007 it acquired Anglo-Dutch steel company Corus for $13 billion, the largest acquisition by an Indian company of a foreign company at the time.

In 2008, Tata Motors bought the luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for $2.3 billion.

His notable projects at Tata Motors included the Indica, the first car to be designed and built entirely in India, and the Nano, which was intended to be the world's cheapest car, for which he himself contributed to the initial sketches.

The Indica was a commercial success while the Nano faced safety and marketing challenges, leading to its discontinuation a decade after its launch. The Nano was Ratan Tata's dream of producing a low-cost car that would appeal to the Indian masses.

Ratan Tata, who was a licensed pilot and occasionally flew the company's aircraft, never married and was known for his modesty, simple living and charitable work. Charitable trusts own about two-thirds of the capital of Tata Sons, the group's holding company.

His tenure was not without controversy, notably a public spat with Cyrus Mistry, who was ousted as chairman of Tata Sons in 2016. Mistry accused Ratan Tata, who was the group's honorary chairman, of interfering in group decisions and creating an alternative power centre.

After retiring from the Tata Group, Ratan Tata became a prominent investor in Indian startups, backing a variety of companies such as Paytm, Ola Electric, and utility provider Urban Company.

Ratan Rattata's Achievements Ratan Tata is credited with significant acquisition achievements that have made the Tata Group one of the largest industrial conglomerates in India and the world, with annual revenues crossing the $100 billion mark.

Notable among these acquisitions was the Tata Group's purchase of the British company Tetley in 2000, which owns one of the world's most famous tea brands, in addition to the acquisition of the British steel company Corus. Tata was also able to add luxury car brands such as Jaguar and Land Rover to the group's portfolio.

Ratan Tata retired as Chairman of the Group in 2012, but remained Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons Holdings until his death. During his retirement, Tata focused on his philanthropic work and his interest in pet welfare.

Among his many awards, Ratan Tata was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2008, India's second highest civilian honour, in recognition of his distinguished services to commerce and industry.

Obituaries of prominent figures Among the prominent figures who expressed their sadness over the death of Ratan Tata was the British Minister of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, who described him in a tweet on the "X" platform as a giant figure in the business world, and Reynolds noted that Tata had a great impact in supporting and developing British industry.