Noel Tata to leave boards of six Tata group firms as he turns seventy

Noel Tata is set to step down from the boards of six major Tata Group companies on November 12 when he turns seventy years old, following the group retirement policy for non-executive directors. He will leave his role as Non-executive Chairman of Trent, Voltas, Tata Investment Corporation, and Tata International, and also step down as Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Titan.

New Leadership

TV Narendran, the Managing Director of Tata Steel, will take over as chairman of Tata International. Sunil D'Souza has been appointed chairman of Voltas. Bahram Vakil, co-founder of AZB & Partners, has been nominated as chairman of Trent. Noel Tata will take on the title of Chairman Emeritus, and Tata Steel and Titan will get new vice chairmen and directors.

Future Roles

Even after leaving these boards, Noel Tata will continue as a Tata Trusts nominee director on the board of Tata Sons, which is the holding company of the group. He will also stay on as chairman of Tata Trusts, which hold about sixty-six percent of Tata Sons. Separately, Voltas Managing Director Mukundan Menon CP will complete his tenure on May 24, 2027, with Jayant Balan taking over the role for five years starting May 25, 2027.

Context

The Tata Group follows a strict governance practice where leaders step down from executive and board positions when they turn seventy, a path previously followed by Ratan Tata. These planned exits happen while the group deals with leadership discussions and differences over governance structures and the proposed listing of Tata Sons.