By Our Reporter
Ratan Tata, a former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night. He was 86.
Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran confirmed Tata’s death and described him in a statement as his “friend, mentor, and guide”. He did not provide a cause of death.
Tata was admitted this week to the Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai, the city where he lived. Soon after he was hospitalised, Tata issued a statement on Monday saying there was no cause for concern regarding his health and that he was undergoing checkups for age-related medical conditions.
Paying tribute, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Tata as a visionary leader and a compassionate and extraordinary human being.
“He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses. At the same time, his contribution went far beyond boardrooms,” Modi said.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai said Tata left behind an extraordinary business and philanthropic legacy, and he was instrumental in mentoring and developing modern business leadership in India.
“My last meeting with Ratan Tata at Google, we talked about the progress of Waymo and his vision was inspiring to hear,” Pichai said on X.
Tata Group is a sprawling collection of nearly 100 companies, including the country’s largest automaker, the largest private steel company and a leading outsourcing firm. The companies employ more than 350,000 people worldwide. In June 2008, Tata bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for $2.3bn.
Tata companies include Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power and the information technology company, Tata Consultancy Services.
