Former chairman of Tata Group dies
The business leader who steered the Tata Group towards becoming the international conglomerate it is today, Ratan Tata, has died. The group announced that Mr Tata, its emeritus chairman, had died in Mumbai on October 9. He was 86.
Ratan Tata took up managerial positions in his family’s company in the 1970s and became chairman in 1991, staying in the position until his retirement in 2012. During his time as chairman, the group’s focus shifted from producing and exporting commodities to developing global brands.
Brands that the group acquired during this period include automotive group Jaguar Land Rover, tea group Tetley and steel manufacturer Corus.
The group’s leather division still operates under the name Tata International. It runs tanneries at Dewas and Chennai in India and in Tanzania. It also has offices in Singapore and Vietnam.
