Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata is a renowned Indian businessman and philanthropist who served as chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of Indian conglomerate Tata Group from 1991 to 2012 and again from 2016 to 2017.

Under his leadership, the group expanded globally, acquiring Tetley Tea for $431.3m in 2000, South Korea’s Daewoo Motors in 2004, and the AngloDutch steel giant Corus Group for $11.3bn in 2007.

In 2008, Tata Motors purchased the British car brands Jaguar and Land Rover for $2.3bn.

Tata’s visionary approach also led to the creation of the Tata Nano, an affordable car aimed at middle and lower income consumers. He retired in 2012 but returned briefly as interim chairman in 2016. Tata was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2000 for his contributions to Indian industry.