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.
Shareholders of Tata Sons, the holding company and promoter of Tata group companies, have approved the reappointment of N Chandrasekaran as chairman for another five-year term despite its single largest shareholder the Shapoorji Pallonji family abstaining from voting, according to sources. In February this year, the Board of Tata Sons had approved the reappointment of Chandrasekaran as executive chairman for another five years till February 2027, subject to shareholders' approval. At the shareholders meeting held on Monday, the proposal for Chandrasekaran's reappointment for a second term needed more than 50 per cent of votes as it was an ordinary resolution.
Tata Sons shareholders have approved a resolution to have separate chairpersons for the company and its largest shareholder -- Tata Trusts. An amendment to the articles of association (AoA) of Tata Sons, which sought to prevent a single person heading Tata Sons as well as Tata Trusts simultaneously, was passed at the company's annual general meeting (AGM) held on Tuesday. With the special resolution being passed with requisite majority of 75 per cent at the AGM, it will now be legally binding for Tata Sons and Tata Trusts to have separate chairpersons.
Tata Capital is set to launch India's largest ever initial public offering (IPO) by a non-banking financial company (NBFC), valuing the Tata group firm at Rs 1.38 trillion. This will make the company India's fifth-most-valued NBFC after Bajaj Finance (Rs 6.12 trillion), Bajaj Finserv (Rs 3.2 trillion), Jio Financial Services (Rs 1.87 trillion), and IRFC (Rs 1.59 trillion).
The primary market is set for a busy week as two major companies, Tata Capital Ltd and LG Electronics India Ltd, gear up to launch their initial public offerings (IPOs), collectively worth more than Rs 27,000 crore.
'The real story of 2025 is that India officially stopped being a 'market of the future' and started acting as the world's primary economic engine.'
The reported buyback of Temasek's 20 per cent stake in Tata Play by Tata Sons will be the third instance of Tata Group providing an exit to a foreign partner in recent years. In 2018, Tata Sons paid $1.27 billion to DoCoMo to buy back 26 per cent of the group's telecommunication venture, Tata Teleservices. This was followed by Tata Sons acquiring AirAsia Berhad's 49 per cent stake in AirAsia India in two tranches to make it a wholly owned subsidiary.
N Chandrasekaran was on Friday reappointed as chairman of Tata Sons for a second five-year term. Tata Sons in a statement said the reappointment was ratified by the board. "At its meeting on 11 February 2022, the Board of Tata Sons reviewed the last five years and considered the reappointment of its executive chairman N Chandrasekaran," it said in a statement.
Air India Group expects to induct 26 wide-body and narrow-body planes, and operate 81 per cent of its international flights with upgraded aircraft by the end of 2026, while overall capacity will remain almost unchanged next year.
Thanks to a big payout by the group's cash cow, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Sons is set to earn a record-high equity dividend worth nearly Rs 33,350 crore from the group's listed companies for FY23, up 130 per cent from Rs 14,529 crore in FY22. Nearly 90 per cent of this, or around Rs 30,500 crore, is estimated to accrue to Tata Sons while the rest will show up in its profit & loss account for FY24. This is because nearly 80 per cent of the dividend payout by TCS for FY23 was done before the end of the financial year through three quarterly interim instalments and a special one in January this year.
The passenger vehicle (PV) business of Tata Motors, which also includes the electric vehicle and Jaguar Land Rover businesses, post-demerger is now valued at Rs 1.45 trillion.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday asked India Inc to take advantage of the policies and reforms undertaken by the government and no longer hesitate to invest more and expand capacities. Sitharaman also asked the industry to partner with the government for skilling the youth and also to engage with the government throughout the year, and not just before the Budget.
'We're always looking at how we can keep improving, keep getting better, and keep learning.'
Non-banking financial company (NBFC) Tata Capital is set to launch its much-anticipated $2 billion (Rs 17,200 crore) initial public offering (IPO) in the week beginning September 22, market sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday. The issue is expected to value the company around $11 billion, they added. Tata Capital is likely to make its stock market debut by September 30.
N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, has been appointed as the chairman of Air India by the airline's board, aviation industry sources said on Monday.
The Supreme Court on Friday set aside NCLAT order of December 18, 2019 restoring Cyrus Mistry as executive chairman of Tata Group.
Canadian firm Manulife and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), an Indian automaker with interests in financial services, have signed an agreement to form a 50:50 life insurance joint venture (JV) with a total capital commitment of up to Rs 3,600 crore each totalling Rs 7,200 crore.
Moody's Ratings on Monday downgraded Tata Motors' outlook to negative from positive following a cyber attack on its British arm Jaguar Land Rover which has led to a complete production halt. The rating agency affirmed the Mumbai-based auto major's Ba1 corporate family rating (CFR).
The higher dividend will help Tata Trusts, which owns 67 per cent stake in Tata Sons, to invest in its charitable activities. The total dividend outgo will be Rs 404 crore.
The crash has dealt a blow to the conglomerate's efforts to turn around Air India, especially following its merger with Vistara in 2024.
Ratan Tata, the octogenarian chairman of Tata Trusts that have controlling stake in Tata Sons, separately said he was extremely disappointed over reports speculating a major revamp in the leadership structure at the group. "I would like to state that no leadership structural changes are on the anvil," Chandrasekaran said in a brief statement. The statement came in relation to a Bloomberg report that said Tata Sons was considering a "historic revamp of its leadership structure by creating a chief executive officer's role to help improve corporate governance."
'We consider everyone who lost someone in this tragedy as part of our family -- now and forever.'
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the country's largest player in information-technology (IT) export, has seen a sharp decline in its contribution to the Tata group's market capitalisation in recent years though it remains the most valuable company in the conglomerate. Its 44.8 per cent share in the combined market capitalisation of the listed Tata group companies is the lowest since March 2009 and is down sharply from the all-time high contribution of 74.4 per cent at the end of March 2020.
On Wednesday, the TCS board approved an up to Rs 18,000 crore buyback offer entailing 4 crore shares at Rs 4,500 apiece. According to a postal ballot notice by the company, Tata Sons and TICL intend to participate in the buyback offer. Tata Sons, which holds about 266.91 crore shares, intends to tender 2.88 crore shares, while TICL (which holds 10,23,685 shares) intends to tender 11,055 shares, it added.
As the Ratan Tata Endowment Foundation and Trust are new entities, the continuous CSR fund flows from Tata Sons will help it undertake new projects.
Tata Sons, India's biggest promoter in the private sector, is expected to earn a record Rs 27,797 crore via equity dividend and proceeds through share buyback from its listed group companies for the financial year 2021-22. This amount is up 17.6 per cent from Rs 23,663 crore that it pocketed in FY21. Nearly two-thirds of these proceeds will show up in Tata Sons' financial results for FY22, thanks to the quarterly interim dividend by its cash cow Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
The 14 listed Tata group companies in which Tata Sons holds a stake are paying out a record Rs 35,441 crore to their shareholders by way of dividends and share buyback for FY21.
Former Civil Aviation Minister and senior NCP leader Praful Patel on Wednesday questioned the "silence" of Singapore Airlines over the horrific crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad last week.
Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran on Thursday said the best of artificial intelligence and machine learning will be deployed at Air India and emphasised that the airline is not just another business for the group but a passion and a national mission. As Tata Group steers the transformation of loss-making Air India since taking control in January last year, Chandrasekaran said that he most of the time receives "caring criticism" about the airline that also further strengthens the commitment. Speaking at an event in the national capital where Air India's new brand identity and aircraft livery were unveiled, he said the focus is on upgrading all human resources aspects in the airline.
With the Supreme Court not getting into the valuation part and leaving it to the two parties, lawyers said there was nothing much for Mistry Group to negotiate.
Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran on Thursday skipped the Annual General Meeting of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), marking his absence from the group's shareholder gathering for the second consecutive day. This is the first time in over 17 years that Chandrasekaran, who was elevated as the chairman of the diversified conglomerate after working as TCS's chief executive, has missed the AGM of the largest IT services company.
In an internal communication to the employees, he also said that when Tata Sons took over Air India, ensuring the safety of its passengers was its first and foremost priority and "there was no compromising on it."
Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry was on Sunday killed in a road accident after his car hit a divider in Maharashtra's Palghar district neighbouring Mumbai, a police official said.
Tata Sons has pocketed Rs 11,164 crore by tendering 24.81 million shares in the Rs 18,000-crore share repurchase programme by the group's flagship firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). State-owned insurer Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) tendered 1.17 million shares to take home Rs 528 crore. Small shareholders - those holding shares worth up to Rs 2 lakh - tendered 25.3 million shares in the buyback, 4.22 times the 6 million shares reserved for them in the buyback.
Tata Sons will increase its stake in budget carrier AirAsia India (AAI) to 83.67 per cent by acquiring an additional 32.67 per cent for $37.66 million from AirAsia Investment Ltd (AAIL), according to a regulatory filing. Currently, AAIL, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia-based AirAsia, holds 49 per cent stake in the Bengaluru-based AirAsia India. In a regulatory filing to stock exchange Bursa Malaysia, AirAsia said, "The board of directors of AirAsia wishes to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary AAIL and Tata Sons Pvt Ltd, India, on December 29, entered into a share purchase agreement."
Tata Sons has started the process of due diligence of state-owned Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express. Sources said the group has appointed Bain and Company and Seabury Group for this purpose. Once complete, a financial bid will be submitted and a deal to take over the airline is likely to fructify by end of this year or even earlier, people involved in the process said. Simultaneously, the group has brought in veterans in the aviation business from Delta and United Airlines to prepare a plan for post-merger integration of Air India with its existing airline ventures. Tata Sons operates Vistara - a 51:49 percent joint venture with Singapore Airlines and Air Asia India, in which Tatas hold 83.67 per cent stakes.
Tejas Networks, a telecom and network firm, on Thursday said an arm of Tata Sons will acquire controlling stake in it for nearly Rs 1,890 crore in a multi-step deal. The company has executed definitive agreements with Panatone Finvest, a subsidiary of Tata Sons (Tata group holding firm), it said in a statement. As part of the agreement, the company will make a preferential allotment of 1.94 crore equity shares at a price per equity share of Rs 258 per share aggregating to Rs 500 crore to Panatone.
Seth has been named by six women including model Diandra Soares, filmmaker Natasha Rathore and writer Ira Trivedi.
A timeline of events related to the investigation of the Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad, including investigation initiation, black box recovery, and safety measures taken.
