Ratan Tata, the emeritus chairman of Tata Sons and one of the world’s most influential industrialists, never appeared on any list of billionaires despite the Tata Group witnessing a diversification from salt to steel to software to automobiles and aviation under him.
Ratan Tata controlled over 30 companies operating in over 100 countries across six continents and yet lived unpretentious an unpretentious life.
A philanthropist to the core, Ratan shared his great-grandfather and founder Jamshetji’s Tata DNA and believed that businesses need to go beyond the interest of their companies to the communities they serve.
According to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List of 2022, Ratan Tata ranked 421 with an estimated net worth of ₹3,800 crore.
The chairmen of the Tata Group have bequeathed their assets to the Tata Trusts, which hold a two-thirds stake in Tata Sons. Approximately 60% of the dividends from Tata Sons are allocated to charitable endeavours.
Under Ratan Tata, Tata Trusts developed and augmented 10 cancer care facilities in Assam, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The facilities make world-class treatment accessible to poor people.
Ratan Tata actively steered the Tata Trusts towards addressing vital social needs, setting up institutes of excellence like the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and funding educational initiatives across India.
Ratan Tata’s contribution towards Start-Ups
During his time as the emeritus chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan donned a new hat and began helping young 21st-century entrepreneurs and investing in new-age tech-driven start-ups that will play a significant role in shaping the country’s future.
In his personal capacity and some through his investment company RNT Capital Advisors, Tata invested in over 30 start-ups, including Ola Electric, Paytm, Snapdeal, Lenskart and Zivame.
His love for charity was not limited to humans –a dog-lover Tata had once decreed that any strays outside the conglomerate’s HQ in downtown Mumbai–Bombay House–be allowed shelter. Some never left, but their benefactor is no more.