Shapoorji Pallonji Group's head Pallonji Mistry dies at 93

Mumbai, Jun 28 (PTI) Shapoorji Pallonji Group's head Pallonji Mistry died at his residence here, company officials said on Tuesday.

Mistry, the largest individual shareholder in the Tata Group with a 18.4 per cent holding in the conglomerate, was 93.

He died mid-sleep at his south Mumbai residence on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, the officials said.

He is survived by his wife — Patsy Perin Dubash, and four children — two sons Shapoor Mistry and Cyrus Mistry, and two daughters Laila Mistry and Aloo Mistry. Shapoor runs the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, while Cyrus served as Tata Group Chairman from 2012 to 2016; and Aloo is married to Ratan Tata’s half-brother Noel Tata.

Born in 1929, Mistry schooled at Mumbai’s Cathedral & John Cannon School before heading to London’s Imperial College for higher education. He began his career at 18, working for his father in the family business (founded in 1865). In the 1970s he helped expand it to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar in the Middle East.

The Mumbai-based 156-year-old Shapoorji Pallonji Group now operates in the construction business in Africa, India, the Middle East and South Asia. It has constructed some of Mumbai’s iconic services such as the Malabar Hill reservoir and buildings such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) building, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building, Brabourne Stadium, among others.