Former Tata Sons director RK Krishnakumarat passes away at 84

Former Tata Sons director, RK Krishnakumar, passed away at the age of 84 on January 1 in Maharashtra's Mumbai.

Krishnakumar is well-known for his role in several Tata Group acquisitions, including the £ 271 million takeover of Tetley in 2000, which transformed Tata Global Beverages into the world's second-largest tea company.

Krishnakumar remained a trustee for the Sir Dorabji Tata and Sir Ratan Tata Trusts, which jointly own 66 percent of Tata Sons, and a member of the Tata Administrative Service.

Krishnakumar was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2009 for his contributions to trade and business in the country.

Krishnakumar began working for Tata Administrative Services in 1963. 

He joined Tata Global Beverages, then known as Tata Finlay, in 1965 and stayed with the company until it was renamed Tata Tea in 1982, rising to the position of vice president of South India Plantations.