Ratan Naval Tata, who died in Mumbai at the age of 86 years, enjoyed a unique status - a corporate titan who was considered a secular living saint with a reputation for decency and integrity.

Tata joined the family firm after acquiring a B.S in architecture from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, in 1962. He initially worked at the shop floor, gaining experience in a number of Tata Group businesses before being named director in charge of one of them, the National Radio and Electronics Co in 1971.

He became chairman of Tata Industries a decade later and in 1991, took over as chairman of Tata Group from his uncle, JRD Tata, who had been in charge for more than half a century.

This was the year when India opened its economy and Tata soon turned the group, which began as a small textile and trading firm in 1868, into a global powerhouse with operations stretching from salt to steel, cars to software, power plants and airlines.

He was chairman of Tata Sons, the group’s main holding company, for more than two decades, during which the conglomerate aggressively sought to expand, acquiring British car brands Jaguar and Land Rover, Anglo-Dutch steel manufacturer Corus Group, London-based Tetley Tea and many other international brands.

Along with being one of India’s most successful business tycoons, he is also known for his philanthropic activities.

Despite being the embodiment of class and elegance, Tata wasn’t untouched by controversies.

In December 2012, he ceded control of Tata Sons to Cyrus Mistry, who was his deputy then. But the owners had problems with the functioning of the first non-Tata family member, leading to the ouster of Mistry in October 2016.

Following Mistry’s ouster, Tata briefly served as interim chairman beginning in October 2016 and returned to retirement in January 2017 when Natarajan Chandrasekaran was appointed chairman of the Tata Group.

He has since been emeritus chairman of Tata Sons. During this time, he donned a new hat, helping young entrepreneurs of the 21st Century, investing in new age tech-driven start-ups, which will play a significant role in shaping the future of the country.

In personal capacity and some through his investment company – RNT Capital Advisors, Tata invested in over 30 start-ups, including Ola Electric, Paytm, Snapdeal, Lenskart and Zivame.

Text & Video: PTI