At 68, Noel Tata, with a net worth of $1.5 billion, embodies the quintessential old school south Mumbai gentleman who chooses to remain below the radar. The chairman of the Tata Trusts is rarely spotted at the city’s myriad high-profile, glitzy events, unless he has a specific role to play. As he did when I ran into him at a recent award ceremony. There we were looking for a hot cuppa at the counter, while other billionaires discreetly chatted away in the cordoned-off space reserved for VVIP invitees enjoying an elaborate high tea.
Noel was accompanied by his handsome son Neville. We chatted briefly about attending Neville’s wedding lunch in Bengaluru in 2019. Both men were courteous and refreshingly “normal’’ as we waited for our chai. Neville’s wife, the lovely Manasi Kirloskar, is the daughter of our friends—the late Vikram Kirloskar and his wife, Geetanjali. The entire family fiercely safeguards its privacy despite heading some of the most established, high-profile consumer brands in the market.
Ratan was honoured at the ceremony. While accepting the award, Noel said, “Ratan changed Tata forever... What stands out is his humility, dignity and grace... And his profound sense of responsibility to the Tata Group and its heritage.”
Noel Tata | Amey Mansabdar
Noel has been the brain behind several new ventures that have earned him the respect of shareholders and business colleagues. While his half-brother Ratan Tata was renowned for his philanthropy and love for dogs, Noel has carved his own path in health care.
My personal association with the illustrious group began with Simone, the grande dame of the Tata family (and Noel’s mother). It goes back decades, to the time when Simone launched India’s first upmarket cosmetics brand—Lakme—named after a French opera (which references Goddess Lakshmi). The impeccably groomed Simone and I met off and on, for chatty, informal lunches at their palatial 1912-built marble mansion, which later became the home of Deutsche Bank. I would also run into her at the first-ever Lakme hair and beauty salon we both patronised where she would proudly declare that she used only Lakme products!
Eighteen years after Lakme was sold to Unilever, Noel made a bold return to the beauty business, launching Studiowest, exclusively available at the Trent-owned Westside outlets across India.
It will be interesting to watch what Noel does next. All eyes are also on his three children who work in various capacities within the Tata Group. Fashion and lifestyle products launched under the Trent umbrella are attracting young, trendy, and thrifty customers who patronise Zudio launched by Neville. He has already made a huge success of Star Bazaar.
The joint venture with Spain’s Zara has had a mixed history, particularly after Zara moved out of the spectacularly restored five-storey flagship store after eight years, perhaps unable or unwilling to underwrite a staggering three crore monthly rental. This is seen as a mere hiccup by industry watchers, awestruck by the speed at which Noel is moving ahead. The RNT (Ratan Naval Tata) mantle remains. But a new era has begun.
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