Krishna Kumar, who was a close associate of Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata, was involved in Tata’s consultancy firm, RNT Associates, and the group’s charitable trusts, which hold 66 per cent stake in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group.

Speaking on his demise, Ratan Tata said, “Words cannot describe the deep sense of loss I feel on the passing of my friend and colleague Mr. R. K. Krishnakumar. I will always fondly remember the camarederie we shared both within the group and personally. He was a true veteran of the Tata group and the Tata Trusts and will be missed dearly by all.”

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said, “Krishna Kumar was a veteran Tata leader who made an enormous contribution to the Tata Group over his lifetime. I had the good fortune of knowing him and what stood out was his deep sense of compassion as a human being. He always wanted to help the less privileged and positively impact their lives. We pray for his departed soul and will sorely miss him.”

Krishna Kumar, well known as KK, was instrumental in the 271 million pounds buy-out of Tetley in 2000, which not only catapulted Tata Global Beverages to the No. 2 spot among the world’s tea makers but also brought the group and India Inc to the international stage.  He served as the managing director (MD) of Tata Global Beverages from May 1991 to January 1998.

He was appointed the vice-chairman and managing director in 1997 of the company and retired in 2013. Krishna Kumar was also involved in Indian Hotels as vice chairman till 2013.