Noel Tata to succeed Ratan as chairman of Tata Trusts

Noel Tata, the half-brother of late Ratan Tata, will be the next chairman of Tata Trusts, sources said on Friday.

The 67-year-old Noel was chosen to lead the trusts, which collectively own Tata Sons, in a meeting on Friday.

A formal announcement on the appointment of Noel, who runs retail business Trent, is likely soon.

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.

He is a Trustee on the boards of Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.

His appointment as Chairman of Tata Trusts comes after the death of Ratan Tata late on Wednesday evening due to age-related health conditions.

Son of Naval H Tata and Simone N Tata, Noel Tata currently serves on the board of various Tata Group companies, including as the Chairman of Trent, Tata International Ltd, Voltas & Tata Investment Corporation and as the Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Titan Company Ltd.

He has been associated with the Tata Group for over 40 years.

His last executive assignment was as the Managing Director of Tata International Ltd, the trading and distribution arm of the Tata Group, between August 2010 and November 2021. He had overseen the growth of the company from a turnover of USD 500 million to over USD 3 billion.

Before his stint in Tata International, Noel Tata served as the Managing Director of Trent Ltd, Tata group’s retail arm. He played a pivotal role in the growth of Trent across formats, from a one-store operation in 1998 to over 700 stores across formats.

A graduate from Sussex University (UK), Noel completed the International Executive Programme (IEP) from INSEAD.