Veteran industrialist Venu Srinivasan has resigned from the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution, following a challenge to his appointment by a former trustee.
Mehli Mistry is backed by three other trustees -- Pramit Jhaveri, Darius Khambata and Jehangir HC Jehangir -- against Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata and the two vice-chairmen, Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh.
Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and two other powerful trustees considered close to him blocked the reappointment of late Ratan Tata's close associate and businessman Mehli Mistry as trustee, deepening the rift at the philanthropic arm that controls the holding company of Tata Group, people familiar with the matter said.
Bringing an end to the speculation around Mehli Mistry's trusteeship in the Tata Trusts, the former trustee has officially parted ways with the Tata group, ANI has learned from sources close to Mistry.
Tata Trusts has unanimously reappointed Venu Srinivasan as a trustee for life, and all eyes are now on the upcoming decision regarding Mehli Mistry's renewal, amid reported internal divisions within the organisation. The reappointment of Srinivasan this week, ahead of his term expiring on October 23, comes amid reports of a vertical split within Tata Trusts - with one faction said to align with Noel Tata, who took over as chairman following Ratan Tata's death, and the other comprising those seen as loyalists of the former doyen.
Tata Trusts, which exerts decisive influence over India's most valuable conglomerate through its about 66 per cent stake of Tata Sons, finds itself in the midst of infighting among its trustees over board appointment and governance issues.
A quiet but consequential power struggle has erupted within the storied 156-year-old Tata Trusts just a year after the death of group patriarch Ratan Tata on October 9, 2024.
Top honchos of the Tata group, including Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman amid infighting among trustees over board appointments and governance issues.
After months of discord, the Tata Trusts appear to be moving towards reconciliation, with recent reappointments and open exchanges signalling a return to cooperative governance.
The Tata Trusts, led by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, hold a 66 per cent stake in Tata Sons, the Tata group's holding company.
Tata Sons, now debt-free, has asked the RBI to drop its 'upper-layer NBFC' tag and allow it to stay private.
Noel Tata -- the half-brother of late Rata Tata -- who takes over as chairman of Tata Trusts, has been with the Tata Group for over four decades, slowly rising through the ranks in the salt-to-software conglomerate. Having functioned mostly under the shadows of his illustrious half-brother, Noel (67) will now have the responsibility of leading the Tata Trusts -- broadly comprising Sir Ratan Tata Trust & Allied Trusts, and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust & Allied Trusts -- that hold a controlling 66 per cent stake in Tata Sons, the holding and promoter firm of Tata Group companies.
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'What made him different was that he was not a banker at all by temperament.' 'He was a businessman, a typical lalaji at that.' 'He had to win at any cost.'
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