The frontrunners

Mumbai: The demise of Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, has left a leadership gap at Tata Trusts, the philanthropic bodies that play a crucial role in overseeing the $165-billion Tata Group. Tata Trusts hold a majority stake in Tata Sons, and their chairmanship is essential to both the trusts and the group’s stability.

Ratan Tata did not appoint a successor before his death, leaving the decision to the board of trustees. The trusts, particularly the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust, collectively hold 66% of Tata Sons, making them the company’s primary shareholders. The selection of a new chairman now rests with the trustees, who may first appoint an interim leader before a final choice is made.

Traditionally, the leadership of Tata Trusts has been closely associated with both the Tata family and the Parsi community. Ratan Tata was the last to hold the dual role of Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Trusts. In 2022, changes were made to the Tata Trusts’ governance structure, ensuring that the roles of Tata Sons Chairman and Tata Trusts Chairman remain separate. This structural shift is part of the group’s efforts to strengthen governance.

With Ratan Tata’s death, speculation has grown over who will assume the chairmanship of Tata Trusts, a key role that influences the direction of India’s largest conglomerate.

KEY CONTENDERS

l Noel Tata, Ratan Tata’s half-brother and current chairman of Trent

l Mehli Mistry, a close confidant of Ratan Tata

l Venu Srinivasan, an industrialist from the TVS Group

l Vijay Singh, a former defence secretary

l Darius Khambata, a senior lawyer who has advised on succession matters