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.
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.
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.
As the business head of Trent Hypermarket, Neville ensures that customers receive high-quality products that adhere to Tata standards.
Seven listed Tata companies together own 12.1 per cent in Tata Sons with a combined book value worth around Rs 30,700 crore.
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.
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.
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.
Will it be Noel Tata, Ratan Tata's half brother?
Noel Tata's children - Leah, Neville, and Maya - have been appointed to the boards of five philanthropic organisations of Tata Trusts, which oversees the $150-billion Tata group. The move is being seen as part of the Trusts' succession plan. Noel Tata's wife Aloo is the daughter of Pallonji Mistry, whose family owns an 18.5 per cent stake in Tata Sons, the holding company of Tata group.
'The quality of a leader should be such that even if the leader is not there, the institution carries on.'
These trusts hold 66 per cent stake in unlisted Tata Sons, the holding company of the $100-billion Tata group of companies.
He may play an indirect role in group beyond Dec next year.
In the largest gift from an international donor in Harvard Business School's 102-year-old history, Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, announced a $50 million gift to fund a new academic and residential building on the HBS campus in Boston.
What would happen to the ownership after Ratan Tata? The succession plan for the 263,862 Tata Sons promoter shares owned by seven Tata Trusts and other holdings of Tata brothers? Would a younger family member inherit?
Shapoorji and Pallonji Group to contest Cyrus Mistry's ouster from Tata Sons
R Venkataramanan, the managing trustee of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust who is responsible for all Tata-run trusts, prefers to keep a low profile but has emerged as a power centre in the group - with more clout than many established CEOs, says Dev Chatterjee.
Of the six chairmen that Tata group has had in its 148 years, the longest serving was Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy
A career Citibanker, 'Selva' came into the spotlight as the person who rewired the financial behemoth's Indian retail operations.
In a letter to the Business School community on Wednesday, Nohria said he will step down from the position of dean of the Harvard Business School (HBS) on June 30, 2020, after a decade in the role.
While the entry of 62-year-old Noel Tata, half brother of Ratan Tata, into Tata Trusts is being seen as a significant departure from the past within the salt-to-software conglomerate, Jehangir, a long-standing philanthropist is expected to add heft to Tata Trusts.
Experts view this as a case of "failed experiment" in succession
It is believed that Tata Sons was unhappy with Mistry's approach of shedding non-profit businesses, including the conglomerate's steel business in Europe, and concentrating only on cash cows
Terms reveal that such premature redemption is allowable on dividend reset dates in case there is no agreement on the dividend rate
What could be the reason for this swift change in less than four years of Mistry taking charge? People in the know said it was building up. The latest trigger was Tata Power's acquisition of Welspun Renewables' solar and power assets
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