Fashion magnate Simone Tata, the mother of Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and the stepmother of the late Ratan Tata, passed away on Friday at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital, aged 95.
This follows her brief battle with several symptoms of Parkinson's disease that worsened in August this year, when she was airlifted from Dubai to Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital, as per a Times of India report.
Swiss-origin Simone leaves behind a colossal legacy as the co-founder of Lakme, one of the most famous cosmetics brands to come out of India, and later laying the foundation for Trent Limited, the group behind popular retail chain Westside.
"She also guided the work of many philanthropic organisations, including the Sir Ratan Tata Institute,” a Tata Group spokesperson said in a statement, highlighting the former Tata Group director's key role in the $180 billion conglomerate.
The statement added that her last respects would be offered in a service at the Cathedral of the Holy Name Church in Colaba.
Simone Tata is survived by her son and Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata, daughter-in-law Aloo Mistry (the sister of the late Cyrus Mistry); and her grandchildren—Neville, Maya, and Leah.
What first brought her to India?
Geneva-born Simone Tata first came to India in 1953 at the age of 23, a year after she co-founded cosmetics giant Lakme (the French word for 'Lakshmi', the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity) with J.R.D. Tata.
The company reportedly arose out of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's wish for an indigenous cosmetics brand for a growing number of Indian women spending on foreign cosmetics brands.
During her visit, she met industrialist Naval Tata, then divorced from his first wife and Ratan Tata's mother, Soonoo Commissariat.
Despite a 26-year age gap, they fell in love, and got married two years later, after which she permanently moved to Mumbai.
In 1966, Lakme was sold to Hindustan Unilever as part of a restructuring strategy. From the proceeds of this deal arose Trent Limited—which owns Westside and the Star India Bazaar stores—that she managed, in addition to various other consumer-facing Tata Group firms.
She was also a member on the board of Tata Industries, an investment company within the Tata Group.
Simone Tata retired in 2006, ending a legacy spanning over four decades. After her retirement, she made very few public appearances—at the opening of the renovated flagship Westside store in South Mumbai on October 2019, former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry's funeral in September 2022, and her stepson Ratan Tata's funeral in October 2024.