SM Datta, Architect of HUL’s 1990s Acquisitions, Passes Away

Former Hindustan Unilever (HUL) chairman SM Datta, who passed away at 89 in Mumbai, was a key architect of the company’s major mergers and acquisitions in the 1990s. He led the merger with Tata Oil Mills Company in 1994 and acquisitions of Kissan, Brooke Bond, and Lipton, expanding HUL’s footprint into foods and beverages. Serving as chairman from 1990 to 1996, Datta began his career at HUL as a management trainee in 1956. A Presidency College and Calcutta University alumnus, he later held leadership roles in firms like IL&FS, Philips India, and Castrol India, and presided over key industry bodies.