Obituary: Ratan Tata, the 'modest' Indian tycoon
12 hours ago :
Getty Images Ratan TataGetty Images
Tata led a "salt-to-software" conglomerate of more than 100 companies
Ratan Tata, who has died aged 86, was one of India's most internationally recognised business leaders.
The tycoon led the Tata Group - known as a "salt-to-software" conglomerate of more than 100 companies, employing some 660,000 people - for more than two decades. Its annual revenues are in excess of $100bn (ÂŁ76.5bn).
Founded by Jamsetji Tata, a pioneer of Indian business, the 155-year-old Tata Group straddles a business empire ranging from Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Steel to aviation and salt pans.
The ethos of the company "yokes capitalism to philanthropy, by doing business in ways that make the lives of others better", according to Peter Casey, author of The Story of Tata, an authorised book on the group.
