Top business leader, politicians, and celebrities paid their last respects to Ratan Tata during his final journey. Ratan Tata’s stepmother also arrived to pay her last respects.

Ratan Tata News: India’s towering icon of Industry and philanthropy Ratan Tata died on Wednesday and was cremated with full state honours in Mumbai on Thursday. He was accorded a gun salute by Mumbai Police at the Worli crematorium. His funeral took place according to the rituals followed by the Parsi community. He was cremated in an electric crematorium.

Top business leader, politicians, and celebrities paid their last respects to Ratan Tata during his final journey. Ratan Tata’s stepmother also arrived to pay her last respects. In 1955, Simone Tata got married to Naval H. Tata. Naval H. Tata had two wives; from his first wife, Sooni, Ratan Tata, and Jimmy Tata were born, and from his second wife, Simone Tata, Noel Tata was born, who is now being appointed as the Chairman of Tata Trust.

Simone Tata played a major role in elevating the country’s first beauty brand to great heights.

Lakme is a renowned name in the world of beauty brands. Simone may not have founded Lakmé but played a pivotal role in turning the brand into a Rs 200 crore company. Lakmé was established in 1952. Here, in this article, we will delve into the rise of Lakmé and the key role Simone Tata played in its success.

Lakme and the rise of Simone Tata:

• Lakme was launched in 1952 and since then the company has been rising with every passing day
• Lakme was initially operated out of a small, rented space and was later moved to a larger location in 1960.
• The impact of Lakme was such that after the launch the import of foreign beauty products into India almost came to a halt.
• To further expand the brand, Tata entrusted its leadership to Simone Tata, wife of Naval H. Tata.
• In 1961, Simone Tata was appointed as the Managing Director of Lakmé. She propelled Lakmé to great heights.
• By 1980, Lakmé opened its first branded beauty salon, and Simone Tata remained the chairperson until 1982.

Simone was reportedly involved personally in preparing the products for Lakme. She would bring products from abroad and strive to make Indian products of the same quality. Not only Lakmé, but she is also credited with starting the retail clothing store, Westside.

Tata and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) in 1993 went into a 50:50 partnership in Lakme. In 1998, Hindustan Unilever acquired the entire stake in Lakme. Tata handed over Lakmé to Hindustan Unilever with the belief that they would do better justice to the brand in the future. Tata sold the remaining stake in Lakmé to Hindustan Unilever for Rs 200 crore.