Noel Tata poised to take the helm at Tata Group?

Noel Tata is the half-brother of Ratan Tata and the son of Naval and Simone Tata. He entered the Tata Group in 1999, taking over the retail arm, Trent, and was later elevated to chairman in 2014. With his son Neville by his side, Noel Tata was the face of the Tata family at Ratan Tata’s funeral on Thursday and is being speculated to take the helm of Tata Group after the passing of the business titan.

For the nine months ending March 1999 (FY99), the retail division, which included the Westside brand, reported consolidated operational revenue of Rs 19.7 crore, equating to an annualized revenue of Rs 26.3 crore.

At present Trent not only houses Westside but also includes other lifestyle and grocery brands, including Star Bazaar, its wholesale arm Booker, and the affordable lifestyle brand Zudio. Trent also oversees the India operations of two global fashion brands - Zara and Massimo Dutti. The company closed FY24 with consolidated revenue of Rs 12,669 crore.  

On Thursday, Trent ended the day with a capitalisation of Rs 2.86 trillion on the BSE, having peaked at Rs 2.95 trillion on Wednesday.    

In 2010, Noel joined Tata International, a leading exporter of leather goods, minerals, and metals, where he worked until 2021. He currently serves as chairman of two other Tata Group companies: Voltas, a consumer durables company, and Tata Investment Corporation.

Noel became a trustee of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust in 2019 and joined the board of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust in 2022. In May, his three children were appointed to the boards of five philanthropic organizations under Tata Trusts, which oversees the $150-billion Tata Group.

The elder daughter, Leah, 39, serves on the Tata Education Trust, Tata Social Welfare Trust, and Sarvajanik Trust. Maya, 36, the younger daughter serves on the RD Tata Trust, as well as the Tata Education Trust and Sarvajanik Trust, while Neville, 32, was named to the board of the Tata Indian Institute of Skills (TIIS).

Set up in 2020, TIIS aspires to be a premier training institution in the country, equipped with world-class vocational training facilities. In 2022, Noel’s three children were also inducted into the Tata Medical Centre Trust, a cancer hospital in Kolkata.

These actions are part of the conglomerate's succession plan. The daily operations of both Tata Trusts and Tata Sons are managed by professional executives.