Ratan Tata Biography

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Ratan Tata, former Chairman of Tata Sons, passed away at 86 on October 9, 2024, in Mumbai. A renowned industrialist and philanthropist, Tata led Tata Group to global success and invested in numerous ventures. His death marks a significant loss to India's business world and philanthropy.



Ratan Tata is a prominent Indian industrialist, philanthropist, and former chairman of the Tata Group, known for his significant contributions to the business landscape and his philanthropic efforts. Ratan Tata has passed away at the age of 86. His death was confirmed on October 9, 2024, following his admission to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital for age-related health issues, where he was later moved to the ICU.

Ratan Tata Biography



Ratan Tata: Birth, Age, Family, and Education

Born on 28 December 1937 in Bombay, British India (present-day Mumbai), Ratan Tata is the son of Naval Tata and Sooni Commissariat. They got separated when Ratan Tata was 10 years old. He was then formally adopted by his grandmother Navajbai Tata through the J. N. Petit Parsi Orphanage. Ratan Tata was raised with his half-brother Noel Tata (son of Naval Tata and Simone Tata).

The 84-year-old attended Campion School, Mumbai, Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, and Riverdale Country School in New York City. He is an alumnus of Cornell University and Harvard Business School.

Ratan Tata as Chairperson of Tata Sons

When JRD Tata stepped down as the chairperson of Tata Sons in 1991, he named Ratan Tata his successor. He faced stiff resistance from many companies heads who spent decades in their respective companies. Tata began replacing them by setting a retirement age. He further made it compulsory for each company to report to the group office. Under his leadership, the overlapping companies of Tata Sons were streamlined into a synergized whole.

During his 21 years of stewardship, revenues grew over 40 times, and profit over 50 times. He got Tata Tea to acquire Tetley, Tata Motors to acquire Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Steel to acquire Corus, turning the organization from a largely India-centric group into a global business.

He also conceptualized the Tata Nano car. The car was capped at a price that was within the reach of the average Indian consumer.

Upon turning 75, Ratan Tata stepped down as the Chairperson of Tata Sons on 28 December 2012. Cyrus Mistry was named his successor, however, the Board of Directors and Legal division voted for his removal on 24 October 2016 and Ratan Tata was then made the group's interim chairman.

A selection committee comprising Ratan Tata, TVS Group head Venu Srinivasan, Amit Chandra of Bain Capital, former diplomat Ronen Sen, and Lord Kumar Bhattacharya was formed to find the successor of Ratan Tata. The committee named  Natarajan Chandrasekaran as the Chairperson of Tata Sons on 12 January 2017.

Ratan Tata invested his personal savings in  Snapdeal, Teabox, and CashKaro.com. He also invested in Ola Cabs, Xiaomi, Nestaway, and Dogspot.

Philanthropic Work of Ratan Tata

Being a supporter of education, medicine, and rural development, Ratan Tata supported the University of New South Wales Faculty of Engineering to provide improved water for challenged areas.

Tata Education and Development Trust endowed a $28  million Tata Scholarship Fund that will allow Cornell University to provide financial aid to undergraduate students from India. The annual scholarship will support approximately 20 students at a given time.

Tata Group companies and Tata charities donated $50 million in 2010 to Harvard Business School (HBS) for the construction of an executive center.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) donated $35 million to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) for a facility to research cognitive systems and autonomous vehicles. It is the largest ever donation by a company and the 48,000 square-foot building is called TCS Hall.

Tata Group donated Rs. 950 million to the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 2014 and formed Tata Center for Technology and Design (TCTD). It was the largest ever donation received in the history of the institute.

Tata Trusts also provided a grant of ₹750 million to the Centre for Neuroscience, the Indian Institute of Science, to study mechanisms underlying the cause of Alzheimer's disease and to evolve methods for its early diagnosis and treatment.

Tata Group also formed the MIT Tata Center of Technology and Design at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to address the challenges of resource-constrained communities, with an initial focus on India.

Ratan Tata Wife

"I came close to getting married four times and each time I backed off in fear or for one reason or another," said Ratan Tata in 2011.

He once loved a girl in Los Angeles while working there and had to return to India as his family member was ill. The girl's parents didn't allow her to go to India. Tata stood by his commitment and is unmarried to date.

Awards

Ratan Tata was awarded many notable awards and honors. Some of them are mentioned below:





Ratan Tata Family Tree




Famous Quotes By Ratan Tata






Ratan Tata Passes Away: A Loss for India and the Business World

His death occurred at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, where he had been admitted due to a sudden drop in blood pressure. Initially, he had reassured the public about his health on October 7, stating he was undergoing routine check-ups related to age but later deteriorated and was moved to the ICU. Tributes have poured in from various quarters, with industrialist Harsh Goenka expressing his condolences on social media, describing Tata as a "beacon of integrity" and acknowledging his profound impact on both business and society.

Ratan Tata had recently addressed health speculations, stating that he was undergoing routine medical investigations due to his age. This news marks a significant moment in Indian industry, as Ratan Tata was not only a key figure in the growth of the Tata Group but also a respected philanthropist known for his ethical leadership and commitment to social causes.