Jamshed J Irani: The Steel Man of India passes away at 85

Jamshed J Irani, known as the steel man of India, died in Jamshedpur late Monday night, Tata Steel said. He was 85.

Irani was associated with Tata Steel for over four decades. He 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, Dr Irani completed his BSc from Science College, Nagpur in 1956 and MSc in Geology from Nagpur University in 1958. He then went to the University of Sheffield in the UK as a J N Tata scholar, where he secured a Masters in Metallurgy in 1960, and a Ph.D. in Metallurgy in 1963.

He started his professional career with the British Iron and Steel Research Association in Sheffield in 1963, but always yearned to contribute to the Nation’s progress. He returned to India to join The Tata Iron and Steel Company (now Tata Steel), as it was then known, in 1968, and joined the firm as Assistant to the Director in-charge of Research and Development.

He 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 Board of Tata Steel in 1981 and was also a Non-Executive Director from 2001 for a decade. Besides Tata Steel and Tata Sons, Dr Irani also served as a Director of several Tata Group companies, including Tata Motors and Tata Teleservices.

Irani is survived by his wife Daisy Irani and his three children, Zubin, Niloufer, and Tanaaz.