Ratan Tata, Chairman emeritus of Tata Sons and a towering figure seen by many as a doyen of India Inc, passed away at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital late Wednesday night. He was 86.
Born in 1937, he was the nephew of noted industrialist J.R.D. Tata. From joining the Tata Group in 1962 to overseeing its journey through the decades following liberalisation of the Indian economy, he steered the conglomerate to new heights, before stepping down as chairman in 2012, at age 75. His contribution to India’s growth story was complemented by his brand of philanthropy, visionary leadership and emphasis on ethical business practices.
The Nations Herald puts together a brief timeline of the life and times of Ratan Tata.
1955: Ratan Tata completes high school in Mumbai
1962: He earns a bachelor of architecture degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; and worked briefly at the architectural firm of Jones & Emmons before moving joining the Tata group as an apprentice
1971: He is appointed director-in-charge of the National Radio and Electronics Company (NELCO), a part of the Tata Group
1975: He attends the advanced management programme at the Harvard Business School’s (HBS)
1981: He is appointed chairman of Tata Industries
1983: He launches Tata Salt, India’s first nationally branded iodized salt which later became a household name owing to its tagline (“desh ka namak”)
1986: He takes on the role of chairman of Air India, India’s premier national airline, but steps down in 1989
1991: He succeeds uncle J.R.D. Tata as chairman of Tata Trusts, which owns about 66 percent stake in Tata Sons—holding company of Tata Group companies; Tata Motors enters the passenger vehicle market the same year
2000: Tata Tea rings in the new century with acquisition of Tetley Tea, the iconic British company renowned for inventing the tea bag, in a landmark deal reportedly worth upward of $430 million; that same year, Ratan Tata is honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award
2004: Tata Motors strengthens its global presence by acquiring truck manufacturing division of South Korean automaker Daewoo Motors for $102 million
2006: Tata Group enters the direct-to-home (DTH) TV market with the launch of TataSky
2007: Tata Steel acquires Anglo-Dutch steel giant Corus Group in a landmark $11.3 billion deal
2008: Tata Motors acquires the Jaguar Land Rover businesses from Ford Motor Company for $2.3 billion, in an all‑cash transaction; following the terrorist attack in Mumbai later that year, Ratan Tata sets up the “Taj Public Service Welfare Trust” to assist victims and affected families; he also sets up a Tata Scholarship with an endowment of $25 million at Cornell University, which covers the tuition fee and annual expenses of 20 students from India; that same year, he is awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second-highest civilian award
March 2009: Tata Motors launches the Nano, touted as the “lakhtakia” car owing to its price tag—a mere Rs 1 lakh
2010: Tata Group companies, charities donate $50 million toward construction of an executive centre at the Harvard Business School
2012: Having turned 75, Ratan Tata steps down as chairman of Tata Sons
2016: He takes over as interim chairman briefly following the removal of Cyrus Mistry of the Pallonji Mistry group as chairman of Tata Sons; that year, he becomes part of RNT Capital Advisers, which went on to invest in, among other firms, Ola, Cult Fit and Lenskart
April 2022: Ratan Tata delivers his last public address, in Assam’s Dibrugarh, alongside PM Modi on the occasion of the launch of South Asia’s largest network of affordable cancer care hospitals (a joint venture by Assam government and Tata Trusts); in his speech, Tata says he has dedicated his “last years to health (care)”
