Veteran industrialist and Tata Group’s chairman emeritus Ratan Tata passed away at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on October 9 at the age of 86. A visionary business leader and philanthropist, Ratan Tata’s passing has left a vacuum in the business world. A void which will always be felt by the nation for his immense contributions in industry and social sector.

Known for his visionary leadership, for being an industry titan and a compassionate soul,  Ratan Tata was awarded two of the highest civilian awards of India — the Padma Vibhushan (2008) and Padma Bhushan (2000).

UT brings you key facts about the veteran industrialist:

Ratan Naval Tata was born in Mumbai on December 28, 1937, and raised by his grandmother after his parents, Naval and Sooni Tata, divorced when he was just 10 years old. His father had been adopted into the Tata family by the daughter-in-law of Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group.

Ratan Tata received his undergraduate degree in bachelor of architecture from Cornell University in 1962, after initially pursuing mechanical engineering as per his father's wishes. He completed Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 1975. Tata worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles before returning to India in late 1962.

He began his tenure as an assistant at Tata Industries in 1962, as part of the Tata group. During the same year, he completed a six-month training program at the Jamshedpur plant of Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, which is now recognised as Tata Motors.

Ratan Tata's influence on the Tata Group is profound. He was renowned for transforming Tata Group into India's largest conglomerate. He was appointed Chairman of Tata Industries in 1981. Between 1986 and 89, he was the Chairman of Air India and by 1991, he took over from JRD Tata as Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Trusts and led the conglomerate founded by his great-grandfather over a century ago until his retirement in 2012. He returned as interim chairman for a brief period in 2016.

Under him the company grew into a sprawling international enterprise with a portfolio ranging from software to sports cars. The Group expanded considerably, operating in more than 100 countries and attaining $165 billion in revenue for the year ending March 2024.

During his tenure, the veteran industrialist also founded Tata Teleservices in 1996, expanding the group's venture into telecommunications. Furthermore, he took Tata Consultancy Services public in 2004, marking a significant milestone for the IT giant.

He launched Tata Nano and Indica cars and led notable acquisitions, including the British steelmaker Corus in 2007 and luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover in 2008. One of his last major achievements was the reacquisition of Air India in 2021, restoring it to the Tata Group nearly 90 years after it was taken over by the government.

A licensed pilot, Ratan Tata became the first Indian to fly an F-16 Falcon in 2007.

Ratan Tata was known for his philanthropic efforts and his death leaves a significant vacuum at the helm of the powerful Tata Trusts. These are a group of charities which own about 66% of Tata Sons which in turn controls all the major publicly traded Tata companies.

Ratan Tata served as a member of the board of trustees at Cornell University and the University of Southern California. During his tenure on the board, the Tata Group created a $28 million Tata Scholarship Fund at Cornell University, aiming to offer financial assistance to undergraduate students from India.

Known for his astute leadership, strong work ethics and multi-faceted vision, Ratan Tata stood out as a larger-than-life business mogul and philanthropist whose success story has overpoweringly impacted the country’s economy for decades.