NEW DELHI: RK Krishna Kumar, a Tata Group veteran and a close confidant of Ratan Tata, passed away on Sunday at the age of 86. Kumar, who worked with the Tata Group for 50 years, rose through the ranks of the group to head Tata Beverages and Indian Hotels Company, before becoming a close associate of Ratan Tata in Tata Sons.
A graduate from Loyala College, and post graduate from Presidency College in Chennai, Krishna Kumar started his career in Tata group when he joined Tata Administrative Services in 1963. Kumar was posted in Tata industries for two years, and later shifted to Tata Global Beverages in 1965, where he rose through the ranks and became the managing director of the company. There he formed a joint venture with global beverages major Tetley of UK in 1992, and later acquired the British company for 271 million pounds, making the Tata Global beverages as the second largest beverages company in the world.
He later headed the Indian Hotels Company, the Tata Group-owned hospitality major. He later became one of the trustees of Tata Trust, one of the major stakeholders of Tata Sons. He later assisted Ratan Tata in RNT Associates, a start-up incubator promoted by Ratan Tata. He continued to be part of the Tata Sons boards till he retired in 2013.
Reacting to the demise of Kumar, Ratan Tata said in an emotional tweet: “Words cannot describe the deep sense of loss I feel on the passing of my friend and colleague RK Krishnakumar.”
Rise from the ranks
Kumar, who worked with the Tata Group for 50 yrs, rose through ranks to head Tata Beverages and Indian Hotels, before becoming close associate of Ratan Tata