Shirin Paul, who was forced to the helm of Apeejay Surrendra Group after her husband’s assassination by militants at a tea garden in Assam, died on Tuesday morning. Paul, the chairman emeritus of the group, was 79 and is survived by son Karan and daughters Priya and Priti.

She was the chairperson of the Calcutta-based conglomerate whose business interests span across shipping, hospitality, retail and real estate, between 1990 to 2004. She took over the reins after her husband’s tragic death in 1990.

However, even before she took up the top job, Shirin was involved in various facets of the business, notably hospitality. She has served the organisation since the mid-1960s to 1980s in various capacities, co-curating Apeejay’ s first hotel, The Park, Calcutta in 1967 and The Park, New Delhi in 1980s with Surrendra Paul.

After handing over the baton in 2004 to son Karan, she oversaw the educational and philanthropic activities.