New Delhi, October 11
German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann expressed his grief on the demise of the veteran industrialist Ratan Tata and called him an icon of India.
Speaking to ANI on Friday at the launch of the Federation of European Businesses in India, Ackermann said that he had the privilege to meet Ratan Tata 15 years ago and that it was a "great loss" for India.
He said that the late Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons was a "wonderful person" as well as a fantastic entrepreneur.
"We are very sad and we mourn with his family and his friends. He was an icon of India. I had the privilege to meet him 15 years ago. I still vividly remember him. I must say it's a great loss for India. He has been a wonderful person, a philanthropist, but also a fantastic entrepreneur and the pride of the nation," the German Envoy said.
Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons, passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday night at the Breach Candy Hospital in the city.
Ratan Tata, born on December 28, 1937, in Mumbai, was the Chairman of Ratan Tata Trust and Dorabji Tata Trust, two of the largest private-sector-promoted philanthropic trusts in India.
He was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, from 1991 until his retirement in 2012. Then he was appointed Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons. He was honoured with the country's second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008.
Following his death, the Tata Trusts, in an official statement, confirmed the appointment of Noel Naval Tata as its new chairman on Friday.
According to the statement from Tata Trusts, the Trustees of various trusts that comprise the Tata Trusts met at a joint meeting held in Mumbai today.
They condoled the demise of Ratan Tata, Chairman, of Tata Trusts, and recalled his yeoman services not only to the Tata Group but also to nation-building.