Simone Tata: How The Swiss-Born Leader Turned Lakmé, Westside Into Indian Icons

Simone Tata was one of India’s most influential business leaders. She helped shape the country’s beauty and retail market by building Lakmé into a leading cosmetics brand and creating Westside, one of India’s most popular fashion stores. Known for her quiet yet powerful leadership, she played a major role in modernising how Indian women shop, groom, and style themselves.

Who Was Simone Tata?

Simone Tata was a Swiss-born Indian businesswoman, mother of Noel Tata and step-mother of late Ratan Tata. Born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1930, where she spent her early years. In the 1950s, she visited India and met Naval H. Tata, a prominent member of the Tata industrial family.

After that, Simone and Naval Tata got married, and Simone moved to Mumbai, becoming an important part of one of India’s most respected business families.

Later, Simone Tata formally joined the business by becoming a board member at Lakmé in 1961. She helped plan the company’s strategy, improve its products, and make cosmetics more popular in India.

Simone was best known for transforming Lakmé into India’s leading cosmetics brand and for founding Westside, one of India’s most successful lifestyle retail chains.

Building an iconic brand

Under Simone Tata’s leadership, Lakmé became known for quality, elegance, and trust. She modernised the packaging, improved products, and shaped the brand to match the aspirations of modern Indian women.

By promoting Lakmé through fashion shows and cultural events, she made the brand more visible and created an emotional connection with women.

By the 1990s, Lakmé had become one of India’s top cosmetics brands. Simone’s strong foundation helped it keep growing, even after forming a joint venture with Hindustan Unilever in 1996 and when they took full ownership in 1998.

How Simone Tata Founded Trent and Launched Westside?

After Lakmé was sold, Simone Tata focused on India’s growing retail market. In 1998, she helped set up Trent Ltd., the Tata Group’s retail company, and launched Westside, a store chain that changed urban shopping in India.

Westside offered stylish but affordable clothes, clean stores, and reliable quality. It became one of the first organised retail chains in India to offer a wide range of products, including clothing, accessories, home décor, and beauty items, all under one roof.

Under Simone’s leadership as Chairperson of Trent, Westside grew quickly, expanding to over 200+ stores across more than 80+ cities. It became one of India’s most popular lifestyle retail chains, setting new standards for shopping experiences in the country.

The Visionary Legacy of Simone Tata

Simone Tata leaves behind a remarkable legacy in India’s business world. She transformed Lakmé into a trusted household brand and built Westside into one of the country’s leading retail chains. Her focus on quality, customer needs, and ethical business practices set new standards in both the cosmetics and retail industries.

Even though she preferred to stay out of the spotlight, her vision, leadership, and dedication continue to inspire future business leaders. Simone Tata’s work shows how thoughtful leadership and a clear vision can create lasting impact.