Jamshed J. Irani, known as the Steel Man of India, died in Jamshedpur late Monday night, Tata Steel Ltd. said. He was 86.
"The Steel Man of India passes away. It is with profound grief that Tata Steel informs of the demise of Padma Bhushan Dr Jamshed J. Irani," Tata Steel said in a statement on Monday. He died at Tata Memorial Hospital in Jamshedpur at 10:00 pm on Oct. 31, 2022.
Irani retired from the board of Tata Steel in June 2011, leaving behind a legacy of 43 years, which won him and the company international acclaim in various fields.
Born on June 2, 1936, in Nagpur to Jiji Irani and Khorshed Irani, Irani completed his BSc from Science College, Nagpur, in 1956 and MSc in Geology from the Nagpur University in 1958. He then went to the University of Sheffield in UK as a J.N. Tata scholar, where he secured a Masters in Metallurgy in 1960, and a PhD in Metallurgy in 1963.
He started his professional career with the British Iron and Steel Research Association in Sheffield in 1963. He returned to India to join The Tata Iron and Steel Co. -- now Tata Steel -- in 1968, as assistant to the director incharge of research and development.
He went on to become the general superintendent in 1978, general manager in 1979, and president of Tata Steel in 1985. He became joint managing director of Tata Steel in 1988, and managing director in 1992, before retiring in 2001.
He joined the board of Tata Steel in 1981 and was also a non-executive director from 2001 for a decade. Besides Tata Steel and Tata Sons, Irani also served as a director of several Tata Group companies, including Tata Motors and Tata Teleservices.
Irani was conferred several honours, including his appointment as International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1996 and an Honorary Knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 for his contributions to Indo-British Trade and Cooperation.
He was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2007 for his contribution to India's steel industry.
Irani was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Government of India in 2008 as acknowledgement to his services in the area of metallurgy.
"He will be fondly remembered as a visionary leader who led Tata Steel from the forefront during India's economic liberalisation in the early 1990s and immensely contributed to the growth and development of the steel industry in India," Tata Steel said in the statement.
Irani is survived by his wife Daisy Irani and his three children, Zubin, Niloufer, and Tanaaz.
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