Tata Trusts reappoints Venu Srinivasan for life, focus now on Mehli Mistry

The reappointment comes amid reports of a rift among the trustees, with one faction reportedly aligning with Noel Tata, who became chairman after Ratan Tata's death, and others with Mistry

Tata Trusts has unanimously reappointed Venu Srinivasan as a trustee for life, shifting the attention to Mehli Mistry, whose current term is approaching an end soon, reported PTI.

 

The reappointment comes amid reports of a rift among the trustees over their tenures, with one faction reportedly aligning with Noel Tata, who became chairman after Ratan Tata’s death, and others with Mistry, who is seen as a loyalist to the former doyen. He is also related to the Shapoorji Pallonji family, who hold around 18 per cent stake in Tata Sons, the holding firm of the salt-to-software conglomerate.

 

Srinivasan's tenure at Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, one of the two main trusts with the largest shareholding in Tata Sons, was supposed to end this week. However, he was reappointed unanimously, making him a lifetime trustee, PTI reported, citing a source.

 

He is also a trustee at another core trust, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, and a nominee director on the board of Tata Sons. 

 

The spotlight now shifts to Mistry, who is allegedly at the centre of the Tata Trusts' split. According to a Business Standard report, Mistry’s current term at the two main trusts is set to end on October 28, and a circular seeking his reappointment is expected to be issued later this week.

 

The reappointment or renewal process, however, requires the consensus of all trustees. Even a single objection can block the reappointment, the report said.

 

PTI, however, reported that reappointments are generally automatic and apply to all trustees. It added that last year, a resolution was passed stating that upon the expiry of a trustee’s tenure, the concerned trust would reappoint them without any limit on the period of tenure.

 

So far, there has been no instance of a trustee’s term being rejected at the time of renewal. The last reappointment at Tata Trusts was that of Noel Tata in January 2025, when he became a life trustee at the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. He also holds a life trusteeship at the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

 

The board of trustees at Sir Dorabji Tata Trust includes industrialist Venu Srinivasan, former bureaucrat Vijay Singh, banker Pramit Jhaveri, businessman Mehli Mistry, senior lawyer Darius Khambata, and Noel Tata. On the board of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the trustees are Noel Tata, Srinivasan, Singh, Mistry, Khambata, along with Jehangir HC Jehangir, chairman of Jehangir Hospital in Pune, and Jimmy N Tata, Ratan Tata’s younger brother.