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Noel Tata
Simone Tata, the mother of Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata, died at a city hospital on Friday after a brief illness. Simone Tata, the stepmother of the late Ratan Tata, was 95. Simone Tata was associated both with business ventures and philanthropic activities, a statement said. "She will always be remembered for her contribution to the growth of Lakm as India's leading cosmetic brand and laying the foundation for fashion retail with the Westside chain," the statement added. The Switzerland-born Simone also guided the work of many philanthropic organisations, including the Sir Ratan Tata Institute, it said. A positive outlook and a deep resolve helped Simone overcome many challenges in her life, it said. Last respects to Simone can be paid on Saturday morning at the Cathedral of the Holy Name Church in Colaba, followed by a mass at 11 am, the statement said.
The Tata group's internal power balance remains delicate as Noel Tata succeeded in placing his son, Neville, on the board of one of the two powerful trusts that holds majority stake in Tata Sons, but is said to have failed to get his way in the other, sources said. After the demise of patriarch Ratan Tata in October last year, Noel took over as the chairman of Tata Trusts, a group of philanthropic organisations that collectively own 65.4 per cent in Tata Sons, the holding company of the 156-year-old Tata Group, which comprises around 400 companies, including 30 listed entities. On Wednesday, Noel's son Neville and former group company leader Bhaskar Bhat were appointed to the Sri Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), which owns 28 per cent in Tata Sons, according to a statement issued by the trust. However, he couldn't get the two appointed on the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), which holds 23.6 per cent in Tata Sons, sources said. This is apparently because of an objection raised by Venu ...
Captains of the industry, including richest Indian Mukesh Ambani and Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, attended the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday. Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, was accompanied by his son Anant and daughter-in-law Radhika at the public event held at Azad Maidan in the country's financial capital. Others present at the swearing-in, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, included Mukesh's younger brother Anil Ambani. The event, held at the ground which has served as a protest site since colonial times, saw thousands of people from the general public in attendance. Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde and NCP's Ajit Pawar also took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers. Billionaire Kumarmangalam Birla, another city-based industrialist, also attended the event along with his daughter Ananya. The father-daughter duo was seated close to financial services industry veteran Deepak Parekh. Sun Pharma's Dilip Sha
Ratan Tata's 'no comments' was more 'thunderous' than any statement when asked if he shared the apprehensions of some Tata group veterans who felt that Cyrus Mistry was trying to break up the conglomerate, according to the author of biography of the late industrialist, Thomas Mathew. Tata had fully supported late Mistry as his successor in 2012, despite having second thoughts over the suitability of the latter at the end of the first year of 'parallel running' as Chairman designate and his replacement as Chairman of Tata Sons in 2016 was due to "an ethical and a moral issue", coupled with performance issue, Mathew told PTI Video in an interview. In the biography 'Ratan Tata A Life', some Tata group veterans have been quoted airing their apprehensions about Mistry trying to break up the salt-to-software conglomerate based on his style of functioning as the Chairman and the past record of the Shaprooji Pallonji (SP) Group's acquisition of shares in Tata Sons. "There are two schools of