Ratan Tata’s loyal aide and former Tata Sons director, RK Krishnakumar, dies.
For his achievements to Indian trade and industry, the central government gave Kumar the fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, in 2009.
RK Krishna Kumar received the fourth-highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri, from the Indian government in 2009 for his contributions to Indian trade and industry.
RK Krishnakumar, a veteran of the Tata Group and a former director of Tata Sons, died on January 1 in Mumbai from a heart arrest. His career spanned five decades, and he worked his way up through the organisation.
In a statement following his passing, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran stated that they “will severely miss him.”
A trusted advisor to Ratan Tata, the emeritus chairman of Tata Sons, Krishna Kumar continues to work for the group’s other charitable trusts, which own 66 percent of Tata Sons, as well as for Ratan Tata’s consultancy firm, RNT Associates.
Chandrasekaran issued a statement in which he offered his sympathies, “Veteran Tata executive R. Krishnakumar had a significant impact on the Tata Group during his lifetime. I had the good opportunity to get to know him, and what really stuck out about him was how deeply compassionate he was. His lifelong goal has been to improve the lives of those who are less fortunate. We will deeply mourn him and pray for his departed spirit.”
Kumar had significant positions in a number of group firms and had a particularly large impact on Tata Tea, the company’s packaged goods sector. In the year 2000, Tata Tea (now Tata Consumer Products Ltd.) acquired Tetley, a British tea company three times the size of the acquirer, for an astounding sum of money at the time—£271 million.
Krishna Kumar served as the vice-chairman of Tata Tea during the time. The transaction, which at the time was the largest cross-border acquisition by an Indian corporation, helped Tata Tea achieve recognition on a global scale. Grand Tea & Coffee in Russia and Eight O’clock Coffee in the US were two further firms that he helped acquire and integrate.
K K, also known as Krishnakumar, made numerous contributions to the Tata Group. His contributions are most known for a number of Tata Group acquisitions, such as the £271 million purchase of Tetley in 2000, which not only propelled Tata Global Beverages to the No. 2 position among tea producers worldwide but also elevated the company and India Inc. to a global level. Additionally, until 2013, he served as Vice-Chairman of Indian Hotels.
Krishna Kumar entered the Tata Administrative Service in 1963, and his first job was at Tata Finlay, a joint venture between Tata and Finlay of Glasgow that produced tea, coffee, and spices. In 1988, Kumar became a member of the Tata Tea board of directors, and in 1991, he was promoted to managing director.
After that, he worked as managing director of Indian Hotels until joining Tata Tea as vice chairman in 1997. Krishna Kumar served as a director on the board of Tata Sons Ltd, the holding company for the Tata Group, from 2002 until his retirement in July 2013.
For his achievements to Indian trade and industry, the central government gave Kumar the fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, in 2009.
Ratan Tata and Krishna Kumar continued to be close even after Ratan Tata left the firm in 2013. He was one of the few senior executives whose services the Tata Group Chairman Emeritus protected. He was one of the five individuals chosen by Tata Sons to serve on the committee charged with finding Ratan Tata’s successor once he retires.
When KK graduated from Chennai’s Presidency College in 1963, he immediately joined the Tata Group. He started off at Tata Industries and later worked at Tata Global Beverages, Indian Hotels (which owns the Taj chain), and Tata Sons.
His wife Ratna, who was by his side when he passed away, son Ajith, who is also the COO of Tata Consumer, daughter-in-law Joey, and grandson are his surviving family members.