Tata Group veteran and Ratan Tata’s close confidant R.K. Krishnakumar passed away in Mumbai on Sunday due to cardiac arrest. He was 84.

He was a director in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. For several years he was the vice chairman of India Hotels Company Ltd. (IHCL). He was earlier heading Tata Global Beverages and was instrumental in the acquisition of global tea company Tetley in 2000, that catapulted Tata Global Beverages to be a significant player in the beverages sector.

He had a key role in Tata Global Drinks’ 2000 acquisition of the multinational tea brand Tetley, which made it a major player in the beverages industry.

Condoling his death, N. Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata Sons said, “R. Krishnakumar was a veteran Tata leader who made enormous contribution to the Tata Group over his lifetime.”

“I had the good fortune of knowing him and what stood out was his deep sense of compassion as a human being. He always wanted to help the less privileged and positively impact their lives,” he said.

“We pray for his departed soul and will sorely miss him,” he added.

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A Veteran Director

A member of the Tata Administrative Services, Mr. Krishnakumar, born in Kerala. Post- retirement in 2013, was involved in the affairs of Ratan Tata’s investment firm RNT Associates and also of Tata Trusts.

Fresh out of Presidency College in Chennai, he had joined the Tata Group in 1963 and worked in multiple companies in leadership roles.

Ratan Tata said in a statement “Words cannot describe the deep sense of loss I feel on the passing of my friend and colleague Mr. R. K. Krishnakumar. I will always fondly remember the camarederie we shared both within the group and personally. He was a true veteran of the Tata group and the Tata Trusts and will be missed dearly by all.”