S imone Tata, a pioneering business leader who shaped India’s beauty and fashion retail landscape, passed away on Friday morning at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital after a brief illness. She was 95.

Simone Tata was the mother of Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and the stepmother of the late Ratan Tata. A key figure in the Tata Group’s consumer business expansion, she was widely regarded for transforming Lakmé into India’s best-known cosmetics brand and later laying the foundation for Trent Ltd., which operates the Westside retail chain.

In a statement, the Tata Group said last respects will be offered on Saturday morning at the Cathedral of the Holy Name Church in Colaba.

“She will always be remembered for her contribution to the growth of Lakmé as India’s leading cosmetic brand and for

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