
Noel Tata, 67, is a contender for the company’s chairmanship. Tata Trusts after death ratan dad. nortata He is the son of Naval H. Tata and Simone N. Tata, and the half-brother of Ratan Tata.
Ratan Tata’s death has thrust the Tata Trusts’ succession plans into the spotlight. As India’s largest public philanthropic foundation and the principal owner of $165 billion Tata GroupSince Tata has not named a successor, the trust’s board will have to appoint a new chairman from among the trustees.
The two main entities within the trust are Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trustholding a total of approximately 52% of the shares of Tata Sons, the parent company of the Tata Group. The group has a broad product portfolio including aerospace and automotive.
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Noel Tata’s possible appointment would appease the Parsi community and ensure a member of the founding family leads the philanthropic organization, which donated $56 million (Rs 470 crore) in fiscal 2023.
Who is Noel Naval Tata?
- Noel N Tata, chairman and non-executive director of Tata International Ltd., has been with the Tata Group for four decades.
- Noel Tata currently serves on the boards of several Tata Group companies, including as Chairman of Trent, Voltas & Tata Investment Corporation and Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Titan Limited.
- In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Noel Tata is a trustee on the boards of Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.
- His most recent executive position was as Managing Director of Tata International Limited, the trading and distribution arm of the Tata Group. Between August 2010 and November 2021, he led the company’s revenue growth from US$500 million to more than US$3 billion.
- Prior to joining Tata International, Noel Tata served as Managing Director of Trent Limited, where he played a vital role in the company’s expansion across multiple formats, from a single store in 1998 to Today there are more than 700 stores.
- Noel Tata holds a degree from Sussex University, UK, and completed INSEAD’s International Executive Program (IEP).
Traditionally, only Parsis have served as chairman of Tata Trusts, even if some of them have non-Tata surnames and are not directly related to the founding family.
If elected, Noel will become the 11th Chairman of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the sixth Chairman of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.
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Noel had previously been seen as a potential candidate to succeed Tata as chairman of Tata Sons. However, the role was given to Noel’s brother-in-law Cyrus Mistry.
After Mistry’s controversial departure, veteran TCS executive N Chandrasekaran took over as chairman of Tata Sons. Although Noel Tata and Ratan Tata are not often together and keep their distance, the half-brothers have largely bridged their gap recently, according to The Times of India gap.