Tata shares slide after executive's "suicide" Police had to wake Mrs Slym to tell her about her husband's death. Tata shares ended the day 6pc down at R347.8 as shocked senior executives attempted to come to terms with the loss of a colleague who had been managing director of Tata Motors for only 15 months. The Derby born executive had previously worked for Toyota in the UK and General Motors in Indian and China before joining Tata. Cyrus P Mistry, Tata chairman, said Mr Slym was a "valued colleague who was providing strong leadership at a challenging time for the Indian auto industry." Mr Slym who had been attending a board meeting of Tata's Thailand subsidiary, was recruited by the Indian group to revive its fortunes in a home market where it had struggled to produce an appealing model since 1998. He also had responsibility for operations in export markets, including South Korea, Thailand and South Africa. The group had hoped the Nano, the world's cheapest car, would provide the platform for a recovery in the home market after its introduction in 2008 but sales have been disappointing. Tata recently introduced a new petrol engine to improve the performance of its passenger vehicles and is preparing to expand its product range for the first time since 2010 with the addition of a hatchback and sedan top its fleet line up this year. Analysts felt Mr Slym's leadership was beginning to pay off. Anli Sharma, of IHS Automotive, said: "His death comes at a time when the company seems to be close to turning the corner.