Simone Tata, the mother of Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and stepmother of the late Ratan Tata, passed away on Friday morning at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai following a brief illness. She was 95 years old. The Tata Group stated that the final rites for the Lakmé founder will be conducted on Saturday morning at the Cathedral of the Holy Name Church in Colaba.
Simone Tata made news in recent years when she became the only Tata family member to attend the funeral of Cyrus Mistry. At a time when relations between the Tata and Mistry families were tense, her presence drew a lot of attention in business circles.
Who was Simone Tata?
Simone was born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1930 and studied at Geneva University. She first came to India in 1953, a visit that changed the course of her life. In 1955, she married Naval H. Tata and moved to Mumbai for good. Through this marriage, she became the mother of Noel Tata and the stepmother of Ratan Tata.
Her role in shaping Lakmé’s products
Her professional journey began in 1962 when she joined the board of Lakmé, which was then under Tata Oil Mills. She later became the Managing Director in 1961 and went on to serve as Chairperson in 1982. Simone played a hands-on role in shaping Lakmé’s products and often brought in international ideas and formulations to improve the brand. Under her guidance, Lakmé grew into India’s most popular cosmetics company.
From Lakmé to Westside
In 1996, the Tata Group sold Lakmé to Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL). After the sale, Simone moved to Trent Ltd., which marked the Tata Group’s early push into modern retail. This was when the Westside brand was born, an idea that helped transform India’s shopping culture. Today, Westside stands among the country’s most successful retail chains.
The Relationship Between Simone Tata and Cyrus Mistry
Noel Tata, her son, is the chairman of Tata Investment Corporation and vice chairman of Trent. Noel, an INSEAD and Sussex University alumnus, is a board member of Titan Industries, Voltas, and Kansai Nerolac Paints. Aloo Tata, her daughter-in-law, is the daughter of Pallonji Mistry, a businessman from the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, which is the largest stakeholder in Tata Sons. The late Cyrus Mistry, who served as the Tata Group chairman from 2012 to 2016, was Aloo Mistry’s brother.
