Simone Tata, former Lakmé and Trent chairperson, passes away at 95

New Delhi: Ratan Tata’s step-mother Simone Tata, who played a central role in shaping Lakmé and later the retail chain Trent, passed away at the age of 95 on Friday at Breach Candy Hospital.

In August, she had been in critical condition and was experiencing symptoms linked to Parkinson’s disease. She was airlifted from Dubai to Mumbai and admitted under the care of Dr Farokh Udwadia.

Born in Geneva in 1929, Simone first travelled to India in 1953 as a tourist at the age of 23. During the visit, she met Naval Tata, then divorced and significantly older. The two married in 1955, after which she settled in Mumbai.

Simone Tata is widely credited with a long tenure in India’s beauty and retail sectors. She served as chairperson of Lakmé from the early 1980s and later led Trent until 2006. Lakmé had been established by the Tata Group in 1952 following a suggestion by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to develop a domestic cosmetics brand at a time when Indian women relied heavily on imported products. 

The Tata Group sold Lakmé to Hindustan Unilever in 1996 as part of a restructuring exercise. Simone subsequently used the sale proceeds to develop Westside under Trent, which went on to become a prominent retail chain. She also served on the board of Tata Industries.

After retiring in 2006, Simone kept a low public profile. Her last public appearance was in October 2024 at the funeral of her stepson and former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, who died due to complications associated with Parkinson’s disease. Following his death, Noel Tata assumed the role of chairman of Tata Trusts.