Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Dec 6: Simone Tata (née Dunoyer), the Swiss-born entrepreneur who shaped India’s beauty and fashion landscape by building Lakme into a household name and pioneering modern retail with Westside, passed away in Mumbai on Friday. She was 95.
Arriving in India through marriage into the Tata family, Simone transformed a fledgling cosmetics venture — born out of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s request to curb the dependency on imported beauty products — into the country’s most iconic makeup brand. Lakme, named after the French opera inspired by the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, became a symbol of confidence and modernity for generations of Indian women.
Having grown up in Geneva, Simone often credited her interest in beauty to early lessons in grooming. She once recalled the moment her mother applied powder and blush before a piano recital — a transformation that sparked her lifelong fascination with cosmetics.
Simone’s life took a decisive turn when she met Tata Group stalwart Naval Tata in Geneva, where she worked at Air India. Despite a significant age difference and Naval’s earlier marriage, the two tied the knot in 1955. Simone embraced Mumbai as her home and stepped into a wider role as stepmother to Jimmy and Ratan Tata, while later welcoming her own son, Noel Tata, now chairman of Tata Trusts.
Her entry into business came in 1961 when she joined Lakme. Simone brought a bold, relatable approach to beauty marketing at a time when makeup carried social stigma. One of Lakme’s most memorable campaigns, “Is it bad to look good?”, disrupted taboos and became a turning point for the brand — a testament to Simone’s willingness to trust unconventional creativity.
Under her stewardship, Lakme flourished into a leader in Indian cosmetics. When the Tata Group sold Lakme to Hindustan Unilever in 1996 during a strategic restructuring, Simone redirected the proceeds to acquire British retail chain Littlewoods — which later emerged as Westside. Today, Westside stands as one of India’s most successful department store chains, marking Simone as a visionary force who shaped India’s evolving retail culture.
Simone also served on the boards of Tata Industries and the Sir Ratan Tata Institute, and led consumer-facing businesses within the group before retiring in 2006. “She was a gracious lady and an outstanding entrepreneur,” recalled former Tata director Ishaat Hussain.
In later years, Simone kept a low profile but remained a dignified presence at key family moments — from the reopening of Westside’s flagship store in 2019 to the funerals of Cyrus Mistry in 2022 and Ratan Tata in 2024.
Simone Tata passed away at Breach Candy Hospital. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday at the Cathedral of the Holy Name, Colaba — a church she regularly attended.