Ratan Tata - the man who put Tata on world map

Tata Group under him grew over 70 times, ending the fiscal year in March 2024 with 165 billion in revenue

NEW DELHI: He was one of the world's most influential industrialists yet he never appeared on any list of billionaires. He controlled 30 companies that operated in over 100 countries across six continents yet lived an unpretentious life.

Ratan Naval Tata, who died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night at the age of 86 years, enjoyed a perhaps unique status - a corporate titan who was considered a 'secular living saint' with a reputation for decency and integrity.

As chairman for more than two decades, he took the staid group global, clinching eye-catching deals, including iconic British assets like steelmaker Corus, luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover and the world's second-largest tea company Tetley.

Owning less than 1 per cent of the group that bears his family name, Tata Group under him grew over 70 times, ending the fiscal year in March 2024 with $165 billion in revenue.

Today, the group makes everything from coffee to cars, salt to software, and steel to power, runs airlines and introduced India's first super app. It recently forayed into chip making and is planning an iPhone assembly plant.

The affable Tata never brought the spotlight on himself. He never married although he came close to marrying on four occasions, including one when he was in the US.

His death has left a vacuum at the top post of Tata Trusts, which owns 66 per cent of the group's holding company, Tata Sons. Noel Tata, half-brother of Ratan Tata, is seen as a strong contender to succeed.