kobayashiGT Internal Moderator Thursday at 02:50 AM Share Thursday at 02:50 AM Source: https://www.asiaone.com/asia/ratan-tata-who-put-indias-tata-group-global-map-dies-86 NEW DELHI - Mr Ratan Tata, the former Tata Group chairman who put a staid and sprawling Indian conglomerate on the global stage with a string of high-profile acquisitions, has died, the Tata Group said in a statement late on Oct 9. He was 86. Mr Tata, who ran the conglomerate for more than 20 years as chairman, had been undergoing intensive care in a Mumbai hospital, two sources with direct knowledge of his medical situation told Reuters earlier on Oct 9. "It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation," the company said. Mr Ratan Tata "was a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on social media platform X. "Extremely pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers in this sad hour." After graduating with a degree in architecture at Cornell University, he returned to India and in 1962 began working for the group his great-grandfather had founded nearly a century earlier. He worked in several Tata companies, including Telco, now Tata Motors Ltd, as well as Tata Steel Ltd, later making his mark by erasing losses and increasing market share at group unit National Radio & Electronics Company. In 1991, he took the helm of the conglomerate when his uncle J.R.D. Tata stepped down - the passing of the baton coming just as India embarked on radical reforms that opened up its economy to the world and ushered in an era of high growth. In one of his first steps, Mr Ratan Tata sought to rein in the power of some heads of Tata Group's companies, enforcing retirement ages, promoting younger people to senior positions and ramping up control over companies. He founded telecommunications firm Tata Teleservices in 1996 and took IT firm Tata Consultancy Services, the group's cash cow, public in 2004. But to grow properly, the group determined it needed to look beyond Indian shores. It "was the quest for growth and changing the ground rules to say that we could grow by acquisitions which earlier we had never done," he said in an interview with the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2013. The group purchased British tea firm Tetley in 2000 for US$432 million (S$564.91 million) and Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus in 2007 for US$13 billion, at the time the biggest takeover of a foreign firm by an Indian company. Tata Motors then acquired British luxury auto brands Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor Co in 2008 for US$2.3 billion. His pet projects at Tata Motors included the Indica - the first car model designed and built in India - as well as the Nano, touted as the world's cheapest car. He contributed initial sketches for both models. The Indica was a commercial success. The Nano, however, priced at just 100,000 rupees (S$1,558) and the culmination of Mr Ratan Tata's dream to produce an affordable car for India's masses, was hurt by initial safety issues and bungled marketing. It was discontinued a decade after its launch. A licensed pilot who would occasionally fly the company plane, Mr Ratan Tata never married and was known for his quiet demeanour, relatively modest lifestyle and philanthropic work. About two-thirds of share capital of Tata Sons, the group's holding company, is held by philanthropic trusts. His leadership at Tata was not without controversy - most notably a bitter public feud after the company ousted Mr Cyrus Mistry, a scion of the billionaire Shapoorji Pallonji clan, as chairman of Tata Sons in 2016. The Tata Group said Mr Mistry had failed to turnaround poorly performing businesses, while Mr Mistry accused Mr Ratan Tata, who was chairman emeritus of the conglomerate, of interfering and creating an alternate power centre at the group. After he stepped back from the Tata Group, Mr Ratan Tata became known as a prominent investor in Indian startups, backing a plethora of companies including digital payments firm Paytm, Ola Electric, a unit of ride hailing firm Ola, and home and beauty services provider Urban Company. Among his many awards, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour, in 2008 for exceptional and distinguished service in trade and industry. ↡ Advertisement 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesc Hypersonic Thursday at 02:54 AM Share Thursday at 02:54 AM Good man. He did a lot for charity. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobayashiGT Internal Moderator Thursday at 03:36 AM Author Share Thursday at 03:36 AM On 10/10/2024 at 10:54 AM, Jamesc said: Good man. He did a lot for charity. He revives land rover jaguar also. Consider charity? 😁 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lala81 Hypersonic Thursday at 03:45 AM Share Thursday at 03:45 AM Is the Tata car still being sold? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobayashiGT Internal Moderator Thursday at 03:52 AM Author Share Thursday at 03:52 AM On 10/10/2024 at 11:45 AM, Lala81 said: Is the Tata car still being sold? have wor. They also have harrier. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesc Hypersonic Thursday at 06:24 AM Share Thursday at 06:24 AM On 10/10/2024 at 12:36 PM, kobayashiGT said: He revives land rover jaguar also. Consider charity? 😁 Not charity. It's a miracle. He raised the dead. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobayashiGT Internal Moderator Thursday at 06:36 AM Author Share Thursday at 06:36 AM On 10/10/2024 at 2:24 PM, Jamesc said: Not charity. It's a miracle. He raised the dead. Yah. indeed it is. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanCoe Hypersonic Thursday at 06:45 AM Share Thursday at 06:45 AM On 10/10/2024 at 11:45 AM, Lala81 said: Is the Tata car still being sold? TATA brand name is traditonally associated with heavy trucks (work horses) ; Can still see them in Malaysia and many parts of rural world Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beehive3783 Turbocharged Thursday at 07:12 AM Share Thursday at 07:12 AM On 10/10/2024 at 2:45 PM, BanCoe said: TATA brand name is traditonally associated with heavy trucks (work horses) ; Can still see them in Malaysia and many parts of rural world TATA no longer popular in this region. Cheap new trucks in Malaysia are now dominated by Chinese brands like Sinotruk and Howo. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benarsenal Turbocharged Thursday at 05:04 PM Share Thursday at 05:04 PM On 10/10/2024 at 11:36 AM, kobayashiGT said: He revives land rover jaguar also. Consider charity? 😁 Jaguar is almost dead now leh ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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