Simone Tata — the elegant, soft-spoken yet formidable business leader who transformed Lakmé into India’s most recognisable beauty brand and later laid the foundation for modern fashion retail with Westside — passed away on Friday morning at Breach Candy Hospital after a brief illness. She was 95.
Born in 1930 in Geneva as Simone Dunoyer, she grew up amid the scenic calm of Switzerland before fate brought her to India in 1953 as a tourist. It was during this visit that she met industrialist Naval Tata. The two married in 1955, and Simone Tata embraced Mumbai as her permanent home — a city whose business and cultural landscape she would reshape over the decades. She is survived by her son, Noel Tata, now chairman of Tata Trusts, and is remembered with deep affection by her stepson, the late Ratan Tata, who held his stepmother in high regard.
Simone Tata’s influence on Indian industry is profound. She joined the board of Lakmé in 1962, at a time when the fledgling brand was a minor subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills. Believing strongly that beauty should be accessible to every Indian woman, she built Lakmé into the country’s first true cosmetic powerhouse. By the early 1980s, as chairperson, she guided the brand through a phase of major expansion and turned it into a household name.
In 1996, she oversaw the landmark sale of Lakmé to Hindustan Lever Ltd, and using the proceeds, seeded Trent Ltd, the company that would give India the Westside retail chain. Her vision redefined how urban India shopped and set the stage for the country’s modern retail boom.
Across her career, Simone Tata served on the boards of several Tata companies, including Tata Industries and extended her influence well beyond business. She devoted herself passionately to philanthropic work, particularly through organisations such as the Sir Ratan Tata Institute, where her quiet leadership helped shape programmes supporting women, children and community welfare.
Tributes poured in from across the world on Friday. Tata Sons, in a statement, stated Simone Tata would “always be remembered for her contribution to the growth of Lakmé and for laying the foundation for fashion retail with Westside,” adding that her positivity and resolve touched countless lives.
The Consulate General of Switzerland in Mumbai called her “a truly accomplished woman whose achievements and grace inspired generations.”
Lakmé India wrote, “Your legacy lives on forever.”
Moneylife columnist Walter Vieira, who is also president of Marketing Advisory Services, says, "My marketing consulting company then worked with Lakmé for nearly two years, on a new project. It was the first woman CEO that I have worked with, and I found her a quick thinker, always setting clear goals, taking firm decisions, looking for new opportunities (Lakmé was followed by Trent)."
"Even when she made a wrong decision, she did not withdraw immediately. She made sure that it was wrong! She was also a very ethical businesswoman- no nonsense, even for high gains! In many ways, it was a pleasure working with her- and memorable," he added.
Her passing marks the end of a remarkable era — that of a global citizen who chose India as her home and, through intellect, empathy and extraordinary determination, helped shape some of the country’s most iconic consumer brands. Her last rites were held on 6 December 2025 at the Cathedral of the Holy Name, Colaba, followed by a mass.
Simone Tata leaves behind not just a revered corporate legacy, but a life remembered for dignity, warmth, and the quiet power with which she changed Indian industry forever.
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