Key takeaways
- Ratan Tata was born on December 28, 1937, in Bombay (now Mumbai) and died on October 9, 2024.
- He was chairman of the Tata Group from 1991 to 2012, and briefly again from October 2016 to January 2017.
- Under him, the group made major international purchases, including Corus (2007) and Jaguar Land Rover (2008).
- He received two of India’s highest civilian honours: the Padma Bhushan (2000) and the Padma Vibhushan (2008).
This article is a short summary based on the sources listed at the end. Where sources differ, we note it.
Early life and education
Ratan Naval Tata was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) on December 28, 1937, into the Tata family of Indian industrialists. According to Britannica, he attended schools in Bombay, finished high school in New York City in 1955, and went on to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he earned a degree in architecture in 1962. He then returned to India to work in the family group. Britannica notes that he learned business on the job.
Rising through the group
Tata worked in a number of Tata Group businesses. Britannica says he was named director in charge of the National Radio and Electronics Company in 1971 and became chairman of Tata Industries about ten years later. In 1991 he succeeded his uncle, J.R.D. Tata, as chairman of Tata Sons, the parent company of the Tata Group.
Chairman of the Tata Group (1991 to 2012)
Tata took over as India’s economy was being opened up. Britannica says his rise met strong resistance from senior leaders, and that he strengthened his position by setting a retirement age, changing reporting lines and removing some executives. He pushed the group to expand abroad:
- Tetley Tea (2000): acquired for $431.3 million, according to Britannica.
- Daewoo’s truck business (2004): bought for $102 million.
- Corus (2007): Tata Steel bought the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker for $11.3 billion, which Britannica calls the biggest takeover by an Indian company at that point.
- Jaguar and Land Rover (2008): Tata Motors bought the British car brands from Ford in a $2.3 billion deal.
He retired as chairman in December 2012. After his successor, Cyrus Mistry, was removed, he served as interim chairman from October 2016, until Natarajan Chandrasekaran was appointed in January 2017.
The Tata Nano
In 2008, Tata championed the Tata Nano, a very small car marketed as the world’s most affordable. Britannica says it went on sale in 2009 at around 100,000 rupees (about $2,000), but that price couldn’t be sustained. Sales were poor, though production continued for about a decade. The factory plan was also controversial: a proposed site in Singur, West Bengal, sparked protests by displaced farmers, and production moved to Sanand, Gujarat.
Philanthropy
Tata belonged to the Parsi community, which Britannica describes as known for public service. He supported education, medicine and rural development, and helped set up hospitals and research centres that advanced cancer care. Donations from the Tata Group and Tata Trusts funded buildings and scholarships at universities in the US, including Cornell and Harvard Business School, among others Britannica lists.
Honours and legacy
Britannica says Tata received the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008. He died in Mumbai on October 9, 2024. His legacy is mixed, as it is for most business leaders: the Corus and Jaguar Land Rover deals made the group global, but they were also expensive, and the Nano didn’t succeed commercially.
Frequently asked questions
When was Ratan Tata born, and when did he die? He was born December 28, 1937, and died October 9, 2024.
Was he knighted? We found no source saying so. He is commonly called “Ratan Tata,” and the honours Britannica lists are Indian civilian awards.
What was the Tata Nano? A very small, low-priced car launched in 2009 that didn’t sell as hoped.
Information checked on: October 30, 2026.
Sources
- Britannica, Ratan Tata (updated September 18, 2026)