From Lakmé to Trent: Tata matriarch Simone Tata hospitalised in Mumbai
Simone, now 95, is known for making Lakmé a household brand in India before it was acquired by FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever in the 1990s.
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Businesswoman Simone Tata has reportedly been admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai due to severe illness. According to media reports, she was airlifted from Dubai to Mumbai yesterday for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Simone, now 95, is known for making Lakmé a household brand in India before it was acquired by FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever in the 1990s.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Simone came to India in 1953 as a tourist and married Naval H. Tata in 1955. Simone is the mother of Noel Tata and stepmother of the late Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata.
Simone began her career in India by working as a board member of Lakmé. At that time, the beauty brand was a minor subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills (TOMCO). Tata Group launched Lakmé in 1952 after learning that Indian women were spending the country's foreign reserves on western makeup brands. Lakmé comes from the French word for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.
Simone is known to shape the Lakmé's vision to cater to the Indian woman’s need for indigenous cosmetics, and also grew the brand's presence internationally. She became the managing director of Lakmé in 1964 and chairperson in 1982, and was appointed to the board of Tata Industries in 1989. She is known as the "cosmetics czarina of India" for her role in popularising cosmetics among Indian women.
In the 1990s, when liberalisation occurred in India, HUL and Lakmé Ltd formed a 50:50 joint venture. In 1998, Lakmé Ltd divested its 50% stake in the joint venture for Rs 200 crore to HUL. She even established the Westside store chain in 1998 and served as non-executive chairman of Trent until her retirement in 2006. After that, Simone has made a few public appearances only. She was last seen at Ratan Tata's funeral in October 2024.
