Tata Sons may name new chairman as early as today: News report

Tata Sons has called a board meeting at 4 pm, although it said no agenda had been announced

Tata Sons is likely to name a new chairman as early as Thursday, the Economic Times reported, citing unnamed officials.

Tata Sons has called a board meeting at 4 p.m. (1030 GMT), the newspaper said, although it said no agenda for the meeting had been announced.

The $100 billion conglomerate ousted its chairman Cyrus Mistry in October, sparking a bitter public spat.

Thursday report comes as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, India's biggest software services company, reports its results. TCS head N Chandrasekaran has been widely speculated to be one of the leading contenders for the role.

Business Standard recently reported that Tata group is learnt to be close to finalising its new chairman, much before the four-month deadline for the selection process ends on February 24. 

After removing Cyrus Mistry as the chairman of Tata Sons on October 24 last year, the group had said a new head would be in place within four months. 

Sources said the five-member selection committee, comprising interim chairman Ratan Tata, TVS Group ChairmanVenu Srinivasan, Bain Capital’s Amit Chandra, Ronen Sen and Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, has held several meetings and a decision was likely in a few days. 

 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) CEO Ralf Speth is also believed to be a contender for the top post at the holding company. Chandrasekaran and Speth were inducted as Tata Sons directors on October 25, a day after Mistry was removed. Besides Speth, British industrialist George Buckley is learnt to be another foreign national being considered by the selection committee to lead the salt-to-information technology conglomerate.