Simone Tata, founder of Lakmé and Westside, dies at 95

Simone Tata, one of India’s pioneering businesswomen, who transformed the country’s beauty landscape, died on Friday morning at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital after a brief illness. She was 95 years old.

‘Cosmetic Czarina of India’ Simone Tata passes away

Simone was the mother of Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata and was the beloved stepmother of the late Ratan Tata. A statement by the Tata Group confirmed the news, while saluting her immense contribution to Indian retail.

“She will always be remembered for her contribution to the growth of Lakmé as India’s leading cosmetic brand and for laying the foundation for fashion retail with the Westside chain. She also guided the work of many philanthropic organisations, including the Sir Ratan Tata Institute,” a spokesperson from the Tata group said in a statement.

Who was Simone Tata?

Born Simone Naval Dunoyer in Geneva, Switzerland, she first came to India as a tourist in 1953 and married Naval H. Tata two years later. An association with the Tata Group began in the early 1960s when she joined the Lakmé board, then a small subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills Company.

Under her dynamic leadership, Lakmé evolved from a nascent venture into India’s leading cosmetic brand. Appointed chairperson in 1982, she earned the moniker ‘Cosmetic Czarina of India’ for successfully popularising beauty products among Indian women and establishing one of the country’s first modern consumer brands.

Simone Tata’s vision did not end with cosmetics. A few years after Lakmé was sold to Hindustan Unilever in the 1990s, she laid the foundation for modern fashion retail in India by launching the Westside chain through Trent Ltd, identifying a critical gap for homegrown apparel.

She is survived by her son Noel Tata, daughter-in-law Aloo Mistry and grandchildren Neville, Maya, and Leah. Last respects will be paid on Saturday morning at the Cathedral of the Holy Name Church, Colaba, followed by a mass. Her positive spirit and deep resolve, the Tata Group said, leave behind a powerful legacy in Indian business.

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