The former chairman of the Tata Group and the man who transformed one of India’s oldest conglomerates into a global empire, Ratan Tata, has died at the age of 86.

Ratan Tata was born in 1937 in Mumbai as the son of Naval Tata. When he was 10 years old, his parents separated and he was raised and adopted by Navajbai Tata, his grandmother and widow of Ratanji Tata. He studied in Mumbai and New York where he graduated from high school in 1955. After that, he graduated in architecture in 1959 at Cornell University.

His career started in 1970 when he was employed as a manager in the Tata group. In 1991, he became chairman of Tata Sons, after Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhai Tata resigned. He stayed there for the next 21 years, and it will be remembered that in that period he raised revenue over 40 times, and profit over 50 times. He also conceptualized and spearheaded the development of the Tata Nano car, which helped put cars at a price point within reach of the average Indian consumer. Tata Motors has since rolled out the first batch of Tigor Electric Vehicles from its Sanand Plant in Gujarat, which Tata has described as “fast-forward(ing) India’s electric dream.” He stepped down as chairman of the Tata Group in 2012.

It should be noted that Ratan Tata throughout his life was a supporter of education, medicine and rural development, and considered a leading philanthropist in India.

Source: Bloomberg