Karl Slym, managing director of India-based Tata Motors, has died in Thailand where he was attending a board meeting.

Tata Motors said in a statement it “deeply regrets to announce the untimely and tragic” death of 51-year-old Karl Slym.

The circumstances of his death were not immediately apparent, although several media reports said he may have had a fall at a hotel in Bangkok.

The British-born executive ran all Tata Motors’ operations except Jaguar Land Rover in the UK.

Karl Slym had been managing director of Tata Motors, part of the giant Tata Group, since October 2012

Karl Slym had worked for Toyota in the UK, and then General Motors in India and China. He had been managing director of Tata Motors, part of the giant Tata Group, since October 2012.

Although Jaguar Land Rover has been hugely successful, the rest of Tata Motors has struggled.

Karl Slym was brought in to help overhaul the manufacturing, sales and distribution operation, including Tata’s new-look Nano ultra-cheap car and building a new generation of engines.

In his tribute, Tata Motors chairman Cyrus P. Mistry described Karl Slym as “a valued colleague who was providing strong leadership at a challenging time for the Indian auto industry”.

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