Ratan Tata was born in 1937 in Surat into one of Indian most renowned families.

He is the grandson of Jamsetji Tata, Tata group founder, an important Indian industrial group active in automobile, energy, telephone, chemical and financial services industries. He spent a privileged childhood which was however disturbed by the separation of his parents. Indeed, he and his brother were raised by their grandmother. He grew up with a passion for USA and decided to study architecture and structural engineering at Cornell University. 

In 1962, he joined the Tata family group as his uncle had requested, after several years of distance from his family.

He made a very modest start in the Tata Steel division in Jamshedpur, working with blue-collar workers, handling shovels and working with stone. Over a period of 10 years, he rose through the ranks to become Director in charge of the National Radio & Electronics Company Limited (Tata Group). In 1975, he joined Harvard University to study management. He became Chairman of Tata Industries in 1991, succeding his uncle, JRD Tata. Ratan Tata adopted a more aggressive development strategy by focusing on external growth and diversification. In 2000, the group acquired London-based Tetley Tea for $431M. A year later, Tata Group joined forces with American International Group, Inc. (AIG) to create the Tata-AIG insurance company. In 2004, it bought the truck manufacturing business of South Korea’s Daewoo Motors for $102M. In 2007, Tata Steel completed the largest corporate takeover by an Indian company with the acquisition of Anglo-Dutch steel giant Corus Group for $11.3bn. 

In 2008, Tata set a new record with Jaguar and Land Rover acquisition.

Then Tata launched TataNano, a small vehicle priced at Rs. 100,000 (about $2,000). This made it possible for millions of modest consumers to acquire a vehicle. In September 2017, the Tata Group announced plans to merge its European steel operations with those of German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp. This agreement, finalized in June 2018, ranks them to 2^nd place among European players behind Arcelor Mittal. 2021 is marked by a historic sale: Tata Sons won the tender for Air India’s privatization. This acquisition will cost Tata more than €2 but is a real achievement for the group. Ratan Tata succeeded in making the family-owned group one of the biggest players in the global industry. Tata group is one of the most powerful and valued company in India with more than 100 companies, including 29 listed on the stock exchange and 65% of revenue generated abroad.

Ratan Tata believes in discipline and corporate culture. Although the diverse businesses of the Tata Group retain a large degree of autonomy, mechanisms have been put in place to foster the exchange of people and ideas, organize financial flows, and promote the common brand. In 2012, Ratan retired and was replaced by Cyrus Mistry. In October 2016, Mistry was abruptly dismissed following conflicts over business strategy and Ratan took over as interim president. In January 2017 Natarajan Chandrasekaran became the new chairman of the Tata Group, allowing Ratan, 75, to fully enjoy his retirement.

In addition to being a respected businessman, Ratan Tata is known for his generosity and humanity.

As head of the group, he supports the fight against AIDS and collaborates with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Following the Mumbai bombings in November 2008, which caused bloodshed in the country and more particularly at the Taj Mahal Hotel, the jewel in the crown of the group, Ratan Tata decided to help the victims. Very saddened, he supervised the aid activities, he had the group’s employees compensated (31 of whom died), but he also wanted all the victims to benefit. A foundation was therefore created for this purpose. Considered a legend in India, Ratan Tata, the discreet childless bachelor, is enjoying his retirement and pursuing his new passion: aviation.