Mumbai: The city’s tony Colaba neighbourhood saw family, friends and business associates of the Tata family gather on Saturday morning to pay their last respects to Simone Tata, the mother of Tata Trusts chairperson Noel Tata.
Tata, who will be remembered as much for her philanthropic efforts as for her success in the boardroom, passed away on Friday at the age of 95 after a brief illness.
Her remains were laid in repose at the Cathedral of the Holy Name, which is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Bombay and the seat of the Archbishop of Bombay.
Family members and friends who paid their last respects, included Shapoor Mistry of SP Group, Saurabh Agrawal of Tata Sons, TV Narendran of Tata Sons, Jamshyd Godrej of Godrej Enterprises Group, and Praveer Sinha of Tata Power. Tata Sons chairperson N Chandrasekaran could not attend as he was travelling.
Born Simone Dunoyer in Geneva in 1930, she first visited India in 1953, when she met Naval Tata, the father of late Tata Group patriarch Ratan Tata. The two married in 1955 and became stepmother to Ratan Tata and mother to Noel Tata.
Her corporate journey began with her joining the Lakmé board in 1962, later rising to chair the company in the early 1980s. Following Lakmé’s sale to Hindustan Unilever in 1996, she channelled the sale proceeds into launching Trent, marking the Tata Group’s entry into fashion retail.
Simone Tata is survived by her son Noel, daughter-in-law Aloo Mistry, and grandchildren Leah, Maya and Neville.
Tata leaves behind a strong legacy as a business leader, having guided Lakmé through its formative decades before its eventual sale to Hindustan Unilever in the 1990s.
“She will always be remembered for her contribution to the growth of Lakmé as India’s leading cosmetic brand and laying the foundation for fashion retail with the Westside chain. She also guided the work of many philanthropic organisations, including Sir Ratan Tata Institute,” Tata said in a statement.
