Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors passes away; suicide suspected

Karl Slym, Managing Director of Tata Motors passed away on Sunday in Bangkok, where he had gone to attend a board meeting of the company. He was 51.

Slym is said to have fallen from the 22nd floor to the 4th floor of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, where he was staying with his wife, Sally. The Thailand police suspect that he jumped to his death. A three-page suicide note, found in his hotel room, is said to hint at domestic problems leading to the unfortunate event. The police are analysing the note to confirm that it was indeed written by Slym.

Police lieutenant Somyot Boonyakaew, who is in charge of the proceedings said, “We didn't find any sign of struggle. We found a window open. The window was very small so it was not possible that he would have slipped. He would have had to climb through the window to fall out because he was a big man. From my initial investigation we believe he jumped.”

Before taking up the position of MD of Tata Motors in October 2012, Karl Slym had worked as Executive Vice-President of SGMW Motors, China, a General Motors joint venture. Prior to that, he was president, managing director and board member of General Motors India.

Slym joined Tata Motors in the middle of an economic slowdown. He was leading the company’s operations (excluding Jaguar Land Rover) in India and some international markets like South Africa, South Korea and Thailand. A customer-oriented man, he was responsible for new projects and strategies like Horizonext, which were expected to bring the struggling company back on track.

Karl Slym’s death comes as a big shock and loss not just to Tata Motors, but to the entire Indian automobile fraternity.