Jamshed J Irani, former Tata Steel Managing Director and known as ‘Steel man of India’ died in Jamshedpur yesterday late at night. He was aged 85.
Irani was associated with Tata Steel for over 4 decades. He departed from the Tata Steel board in June 2011, leaving a legacy of 43 years that brought him and the company recognition on a global scale in a number of industries.
Jamshed J Irani 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 began his professional career in Sheffield in 1963 with the British Iron and Steel Research Association, but he had always desired to advance the country. In 1968, after his return to India, he joined The Tata Iron and Steel Company (then known as Tata Steel), working as the director's assistant for research and development.
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Irani went on to become 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 2011.
He joined the Tata Steel Board in 1981 and served as a Non-Executive Director beginning in 2001 for ten years. Dr. Irani served as a director of a number of Tata Group firms, including Tata Motors and Tata Teleservices, in addition to Tata Steel and Tata Sons.
The three children of Irani, Zubin, Niloufer, and Tanaaz are still living, along with his wife Daisy Irani.
