Lakme and Westside founder, Simone Tata passed away at the age of 95. Ratan Tata’s stepmother, she suffered from Parkinson’s. His son Noel Tata is now the chairman of Tata Trust.
Mumbai: Simone Tata, stepmother of Ratan Tata and founder of big brands like Lakme, Westside, Trent, has passed away. 95 year old Simone Tata was suffering from Parkinson’s disease for the last several days. His health had deteriorated significantly in the last few days. He was undergoing treatment at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, where he breathed his last today.
Airlift was done from Dubai
In the month of August, Simon Tata’s health deteriorated due to Parkinson’s. Simone Tata, who was undergoing treatment in Dubai, was then airlifted to Mumbai. Simone Tata was a woman entrepreneur who drew the attention of the whole world towards India. Simone Tata, born in Switzerland, came to India as a tourist and then stayed here.
Simone was seen at Ratan Tata’s funeral
Simone Tata was suffering from age-related diseases for some years. Since 2006, she was rarely seen in public. Especially after 2020, she was not seen anywhere. When Ratan Tata died in October 2024, she was seen at his funeral. This was the last time Simone Tata was seen in public. Despite being Ratan Tata’s stepmother, Simone Tata had a special attachment to him. After the demise of Ratan Tata, Simon Tata’s son Noel Tata is now the chairman of Tata Trust.
Was married to Naval Tata
Simone, who came to visit India, met India’s famous businessman Naval Tata. Naval Tata was divorced at that time. Simone Tata married Naval Tata, 26 years her senior, and settled in Mumbai.
Successful woman who gave birth to fashion brand like Lakme
Today Lakme has become a big brand in the fashion world. But it was started by this Simon Tata. Not only did he launch many products including Westside, Trent, but the credit for making them the world’s top brand also goes to Simon Tata. The Lakme fashion brand was sold by the Tata Group to Hindustan Unilever in 1996. Till then Simon Tata was handling it as chairman. She continued to serve as Chairman of Trent Limited until 2006.