Noel Naval Tata would have become the chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of Tata Group, way back in 2011. Ratan Tata, Noel Tata’s half brother, had decided to step down as chairman of Tata Sons then. Most of the board members of Tata Sons wanted Noel Tata to succeed Ratan Tata.

However, Ratan Tata was firm in insisting that a selection committee should go through a process and select the best candidate for the post. Ratan Tata had also refused to be a part of the selection committee, and he wanted a professional to head the Tata Group, irrespective of considerations of religion, relationship and other sundry criteria.

Ultimately, Cyrus Mistry – the scion of the Shaporji Pallonji Group, which was and still is the single-largest shareholder of Tata Sons – was appointed the chairman of Tata Sons. After a brief stint and an ugly spat with Ratan Tata, Mr Mistry was sacked and Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the then chairman of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), was named the Tata Group chairman in 2017.     

By an ironical turn of events, Noel Tata was last month appointed chairman of Tata Trusts. The sudden appointment was necessitated after the demise of Ratan Tata last month. There were concerns that Tata Sons and consequently the Tata Group would lose its Parsi character. So, the old-time members of Tata Sons put Noel Tata in charge of Tata Trusts, which owns 65.90 per cent of Tata Sons. Tata Trusts – the philanthropic arm of the over Rs 30-lakh crore Tata Group – wields considerable influence across the business conglomerate and appoints a third of Tata Sons’ board members.

Besides, being the step-brother of Ratan Tata, Noel Tata very much belongs to the Tata family. He is the son of Naval Tata and Simone Tata. Noel Tata, who is an Irish citizen, is related to the powerful Shaporji Pallonji Group through his wife Aloo Mistry – the daughter of the late Pallonji Mistry and sister of the late Cyrus Mistry.

However, beyond his Parsi faith and his strong Tata family connections, Noel Tata is a top business leader in his own right. Known for his low-profile approach, Noel Tata has held leadership roles within the Tata Group for over four decades. He has been the chairman of Trent – the conglomerate’s retail company – Tata International – the group’s overseas subsidiary – Voltas and Tata Investment Corporation. He has also been vice-chairman of Tata Steel and Titan Company.

After a bachelor’s degree in economics from University of Sussex, young Noel completed the International Executive Programme at INSEAD, a globally-reputed business school in France. Later, he joined Tata International and became managing director of Trent in 1999. Noel Tata has built Trent into a powerful retail venture, with popular brands like Westside, Star Bazaar, Zudio, Zara and Massimo Dutti. In fact, Noel Tata has played a vital role in transforming Westside from a single store to a robust retail chain with over 700 stores across India.

Now, as the Tata Trusts chief, Noel Tata is firmly in charge of the sprawling Tata Group. He will have to weigh his options carefully in ensuring that the business conglomerate – with interests across retail, information technology, steel, FMCG and many other sectors – continues to operate smoothly. Besides, he will have to deal with Mr Chandrasekaran, who is the other power centre as the chairman of Tata Sons. Corporate analysts do not see any possibility of a power struggle in the Tata Group, as was the case when Ratan Tata had taken charge of the conglomerate over three decades ago. But in business, as in life, one can never anticipate the twists and turns.