Tale of Tata’s Succession: Who will take over the Rs 3,600-crore business empire after Ratan Tata?

They say reel life often imitates real life. But, on Wednesday night, real imitated reel when the hit HBO show, Succession, came to life with the passing away of Ratan Tata — the 86-year-old shy and modest ex-chairman of the Tata Group — who breathed his last at a renowned Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night.

Confirming the same, the Tata Group in a statement said, “It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation.”

Shortly after Tata’s passing, there was one question that many were asking: Who would succeed Ratan Tata at Tata Trusts, which has a 66 per cent stake in the Tata Group — which is estimated to have a net worth of Rs 3,600 crore.

Current head — N Chandrasekaran

Fifteen months after the ouster of Cyrus Mistry, N Chandrasekaran took over the reins of Tata Sons in 2017. At the time, many had hoped that a Tata would succeed a Tata and the mantle would be handed over to Ratan Tata’s stepbrother — Noel Tata. However, that was not to be and Chandrasekaran assumed the leadership role.

Previously the CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), he was considered by many as Ratan Tata’s man. Under Chandrasekaran’s guidance, the Tata Group has managed to consolidate a profit of Rs 64,267 crore in 2022 from Rs 36,728 crore in 2017.

In his condolence message for Ratan Tata, N Chandrasekaran wrote: “To me, he was a mentor, guide and friend. He was inspired by example. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, and innovation, the Tata Group under his stewardship expanded its global footprint while always remaining true to its moral compass.”

Future successors in the spotlight

However, 61-year-old N Chandrasekaran is the current head of Tata Group. But the question that many are pondering is who comes next after him. It’s even more pertinent as Ratan Tata remained a bachelor his entire life and has no children of his own.

Many point out that Noel and his three children — Maya, Neville, and Leah Tata — would be next in line to inherit this huge business empire that covers products in every person’s daily life.

Noel Tata: The 67-year-old, who is Ratan’s stepbrother, is seen as the leading contender for the position of chairman. Noel is Ratan Tata’s father’s son from his second wife — Simone Dunoyer, a Swiss national. He has been a part of the Tata Group for four decades and currently holds positions on the Boards of several Tata Group companies, such as Chairman of Trent, Voltas & Tata Investment Corporation, and the Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Titan Company Limited.

He also serves as a Trustee for Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. These trusts are significant as they not only manage the group’s philanthropic efforts but also control the majority stake in Tata Sons.

Leah Tata: If not Noel, then Leah Tata, Noel’s eldest child, is being considered as the likely successor. A product of Jai Hind College in Mumbai, Leah currently works with Indian Hotels Company, which oversees the Tata Group’s hotel ventures — a job she took on in 2007.

Her LinkedIn profile states that she did a Masters in marketing from IE Business School in Spain’s Madrid. Currently, she is part of the company’s real estate and development team. Earlier in May, she, along with her two other siblings, were made trustees of five Trusts – affiliates of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the primary entities within Tata Trusts.

Maya Tata: The 36-year-old is another possible contender in the Tata succession tale. After completing her education at Bayes Business School and Warwick University, she joined Tata Capital as an analyst and worked her way up the ladder. She also worked at Tata Digital, and played an instrumental role in the launch of the Tata Neu app. Currently, Maya serves as one of the six board members of the Tata Medical Centre Trust.

Neville Tata: The youngest child of Noel, the 32-year-old completed his education at Bayes Business School, London and began his career at Trent, a retail company. He now leads Star Bazaar and is married to Manasi Kirloskar of the Kirloskar family.

The ‘outsider’ successor

While many assume a Tata could head the Tata Trusts, there’s a possibility of a non-Tata also taking on the leadership role. That person could be Mehli Mistry, a director of the Meherji Pallonji Group. Mistry has been a close associate of Ratan Tata and has been associated with the Tata group for several years.

He’s also a cousin of former Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry, who was killed in a car accident near Mumbai in September 2022.

Tata family tree

The demise of Ratan Tata has also put a spotlight on the Tata family, which is one of India’s most prominent and influential business families. It all began, however, with its visionary founder Jamsetji Tata, who laid the foundation for an industrial revolution in India. He not only began ventures in steel and industry but also the famous Taj Mahal Hotel.

Jamsetji Tata had two sons — Dorabji Tata and Ratanji Tata, who continued their father’s legacy and took the business to new heights.

While Dorabji didn’t have any children, Ratanji with his wife Navajbai Sett adopted Naval Tata, further ensuring the family tree lived on.

When Naval grew up, he married Sooni Commissariat and had two sons — Ratan Tata and the reclusive Jimmy Tata, but the marriage was intensely unhappy and ended in divorce. Later, Naval remarried Simone Dunoyer and had one son, Noel. This makes Ratan Tata and Noel stepbrothers.

Meanwhile, Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhai Tata, popularly known as JRD, was Ratan Tata’s uncle.