Ratan Tata’s stepmother, Simone Tata, passes away at 95
New Delhi: Simone Tata (95), mother of Noel Tata and stepmother of former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, passed away in the early hours of Friday.
Tata was recovering from an illness and was brought to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai early this August after receiving initial treatment at King’s Hospital in Dubai.
Tata is survived by his son Noel, his wife Aloo Mistry, and grandchildren Neville, Maya and Leah.
Tata leaves behind a strong legacy as a business leader, having guided Lakmé through its early decades before its eventual sale to Hindustan Unilever in the 1990s.
Simone Naval Dunoyer was born in Geneva, Switzerland. He came to India as a tourist in 1953. Two years later, in 1955, she married Naval H. Tata and subsequently began her professional association with the Tata Group in the early 1960s.
His relationship with the group officially began in 1961, when he joined Lakmé’s board of directors. At the time, Lakmé was a small subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills Company (TOMCO), known for personal care brands such as Hammam, OK and Modi Soaps. It was Simone who championed and championed the brand’s vision of meeting Indian women’s need for indigenous, home-grown cosmetics.
Under his management, Lakmé became a widely recognized Indian brand and he was appointed chairman in 1982. She is often referred to as the “Cosmetics Czarina of India” for her role in popularizing cosmetics among Indian women.
In the post-liberalization period, Lakmé Ltd and Hindustan Unilever formed a 50:50 joint venture, Lakmé Unilever Ltd, in 1996 to market Lakmé’s cosmetics and selected products from HUL’s portfolio. In 1998, Lakmé sold its brands to HUL and exited the joint venture, acquiring 50% of its shares. ₹200 crore.
Following this transition, Lakmé shifted its focus from cosmetics to apparel retailing and realized there was a gap in the market for local brands. This laid the foundation for Trent Ltd, which now operates retail formats such as Westside and Zudio.
As part of the move, Lakmé acquired Littlewoods International (India) from Littlewoods International Limited in the United Kingdom in March 1998. Littlewoods International India Private Ltd was engaged in retailing of ready-made garments and related products. Later, Trent Ltd was merged with Lakmé and Lakmé Limited was officially renamed Trent Ltd.
