Simone Tata, the stepmother of the late Ratan Tata and the mother of Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata, passed away on Friday at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, aged 95, after a brief illness.

Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Simone Tata first visited India in 1953 as a tourist at the age of 23. It was during this trip that she met Naval Tata, who was divorced and 26 years older than her. The two married in 1955, and Simone settled permanently in Mumbai, marking the beginning of her influential role in India’s business and philanthropic landscape. Advertisement

Simone Tata was instrumental in transforming Lakmé into India's leading cosmetics brand. Serving as chairperson of Lakmé from the early 1980s, she led the company through critical years and helped establish it as a household name in In

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