Tata Motors managing director Karl Slym, head of the carmaker’s Indian operations, died after falling from the 22nd floor of the Shangri-La hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Local police said it’s awaiting forensic-test results before determining the circumstances surrounding his death.
News agency Bloomberg reported that, according to one police officer, a letter was found in his room, but authorities haven’t determined who wrote it or whether it’s a suicide note. However, they said a murder is out of the question.
51 year old Slym was in Bangkok to attend a board meeting of Tata Motors’ Thai unit. The British-born executive joined Tata Motors in 2012 after spending 17 years at General Motors and was managing the carmaker’s India business. His main goal was to spur demand for the Nano by repositioning it as a second vehicle. Slym was in Bangkok with his wife, who hasn’t been questioned yet because she’s in shock, police said.
Tata Motors’ standalone operations (excluding Jaguar Land Rover) posted a loss during the latest fiscal half as products such as the Nano failed to attract buyers. Slym said in an interview last year that he wanted to improve the Nano and to overhaul Tata Motors’ manufacturing process to ensure fewer problems after cars roll off the assembly line.
Tata Motors is the automotive division of the Tata Sons Ltd. Group, an industrial conglomerate headed by Cyrus P. Mistry that includes more than 100 companies in areas ranging from steel to call centers and chemicals.
“Karl was providing strong leadership at a challenging time for the Indian auto industry,” Mistry said in a statement yesterday.
By Dan Mihalascu
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