Former Tata Sons Director and Ratan Tata’s close confidant, R.K. Krishnakumar, died in Mumbai. He was 84 years old. He was a significant corporate executive with a 50-year career who progressed through the ranks at the vast conglomerate.
RK Krishnakumar was the vice chairperson of India Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) for several years; he previously managed Tata Global Beverages and was instrumental in acquiring a global tea company, Tetley, in 2000, which launched Tata Global Beverages as a significant player in the beverages sector.
Furthermore, Krishnakumar was connected to the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Ratan Tata’s investment firm RNT associates. Up till July 2013, he was on the board of directors for Tata Sons.
He served in key roles at various global companies, including Eight O’Clock in the US and Russia’s Grand Tea and Coffee. He also received India’s fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri.
What other officials said:
Sympathizing his death, N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, said, “R. Krishnakumar, a veteran Tata executive, contributed significantly to the Tata Group during his lifetime.”
“I had the wonderful opportunity to know him, and what struck me about him was his profound sense of compassion. He remarked that he always wanted to make a difference in the lives of less fortunate people.
After his death, Ratan Tata said in his statement, “I can’t describe the amount of pain I feel after the loss of my closest friend and colleague Mr RK Krishnakumar. I will always cherish the friendships we formed, personally and as a group. Everyone will sadly miss him because he was a real veteran of the Tata company and the Tata Trusts.”
“I’ll add that the pride we have in what we’ve accomplished in building a partnership with Tata is rooted in RK Krishna Kumar’s friendship, relationship, confidence, trust, and sense of principle towards the integrity and ethics of conducting business properly,” said Starbucks founder and CEO Howard Schultz.
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