Former East-West Center Board of Governors Member Ratan Naval Tata passed away on October 9th, 2024, in Mumbai, India. He was 86.
Tata was chairman emeritus of the Tata Group. After serving as chairman from 1991 to 2012, Tata retired and took control of Tata Trusts, India’s largest private sector philanthropic organization, which holds a majority share of 66% in the Tata Group.
In addition to serving on the East-West Center’s Board of Governors from 1993-2004 (three consecutive terms) and then again from 2013-2016 (one term), Tata also served on the East-West Center Foundation’s Board of Directors from 2000-2008 (three consecutive terms). Tata was awarded the Center’s inaugural Asia-Pacific Community Building Award in 2002.
East-West Center President Suzanne Vares-Lum (Major General, Retd.) told the authors of this piece that:
“Mr. Tata was a remarkable leader whose dedication, innovation, and integrity transformed the Tata Group into a global enterprise. During his multiple terms on our boards, Mr. Tata represented India and South Asia with grace and distinction, emphasizing that our strength lies in building cross-cultural relationships, which is essential to fulfilling our mission of fostering mutual understanding and cooperation across the region. His legacy will guide us in our pursuit of a more interconnected and compassionate world.”
Tata and America: A Long-Lasting Partnership
Ratan Tata embodied the East-West Center’s vision and goal of building deeper relations and mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the Indo-Pacific (and in Tata’s case, India).
In addition to his championing of the East-West Center's work, Tata was involved in multiple organizations, universities, and businesses across the United States, working to build bridges and connect his home country to the US through a keen sense of corporate social responsibility and a vision for a more globalized and interconnected world. His later life after retiring as chairman of the Tata Group was to give back to society, as much as he could.
An obituary published by the Cornell Chronicle stated some of Tata’s major endowments in the United States:
“In 2008, a $50 million gift from the Tata Trusts created the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, a long-term research initiative, and endowed the Tata Scholarship for Students from India. In 2017, a $50 million investment from Tata Consultancy Services helped build the Tata Innovation Center on Cornell Tech’s Roosevelt Island campus in New York City.”
Mourning the death of its former student who also served as a trustee from 2006-2012, Cornell University termed Tata as the “university’s largest international donor.”
Stating that Tata has left an “extraordinary legacy in India, across the world, and at Cornell,” Michael I. Kotlikoff, the university’s interim president said, “Ratan’s quiet demeanor and humility belied his international profile. His generosity and concern for others enabled research and scholarship that improved the education and health of millions of people in India and beyond, and extended Cornell’s global impact.”
A similar footprint was visible in the coffee industry where Tata's role had a cultural impact. In 2012, Starbucks opened in its first outlet in India in partnership with Tata Coffee. In a market where inclination towards western culture runs high, this was a significant move with the target age of the partnership being 16-40 years. By serving Indian grown coffee under the Starbucks name, Tata captured the attention of millions of young Indians, who were more than likely to have been exposed to American soft culture through film and music prior to the brand’s launch in India.
In their condolence statement, Starbucks said that Tata was “instrumental in building the partnership with Starbucks Coffee Company” which helped the chain enter the Indian market. Starbucks today has 400 stores in India, employing over 4,000 servers.
In addition to his roles at EWC, Cornell, and Starbucks, Tata also served on the board of the University of Southern California and as senior advisor to the Office of the Chief Investment Officer at the University of California.
He was accorded India’s second highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008 for services to trade and industry.
Shinjini Ghosh is a Fall 2024 Young Professional at the East West Center in Washington. Shinjini is currently pursuing a graduate program in journalism at Georgetown University. Previously she was a reporter in India.
Aryan D’Rozario is a Programs Coordinator at the East-West Center in Washington, DC. He received his Master's of Science degree from the University of Oxford, where he read Modern South Asian Studies.