Next Generation Takes Charge, Neville Tata Appointed Trustee of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust

Mumbai: Neville Tata just stepped in as a trustee of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, a big deal among the charitable arms of the Tata group. He took on the role November 12. At 32, Noel’s son Noel—who also happens to be chairman of Tata Trusts—is making headlines too. The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust owns nearly 28 percent of Tata Sons, which basically makes it the biggest single shareholder in the whole Tata empire.

Noel started out with the Tata group back in 2016, and he hasn’t exactly been sitting still. Right now, he heads up Zudio, a fast-growing fashion brand under Trent Ltd., which is Tata’s retail wing. People see his appointment as a way to bring the next generation of the Tata family into the heart of the action.

But before all this, there was some behind-the-scenes drama. CNBC-TV18 reported that Noel’s appointment only happened after the Tata Trusts sorted out an internal spat. The disagreement was between Neville Tata and Mehli Mistry, one of the late Ratan Tata’s close allies—Mistry ended up getting removed from key trust roles. He didn’t fight the decision in court, so things moved on without much fuss, clearing the path for new faces.

The trust didn’t stop with just Noel. They also brought in Bhaskar Bhat, who led Titan Company and knows the Tata group inside out, and Venu Srinivasan, chairman of TVS Motor Company. Srinivasan’s not just a trustee—he’s taking up vice-chairman duties for the next three years. Both appointments are all about shoring up the trust’s leadership for what’s ahead.

There’s another reason for these moves: new rules in Maharashtra. The state just updated its laws around public trusts, putting an end to lifetime trusteeships. Under the new ordinance, which came out in late August and kicked in September 1, only a quarter of trustees can be permanent. It’s supposed to cut down on legal messes and governance fights in big trusts like this one.