Noel Naval Tata was named the new Chairman of Tata Trusts on Friday, marking a significant leadership shift within one of India's most influential organizations. As the half-brother of the late Ratan Tata, Noel has made notable contributions to the Tata Group, particularly in his leadership at Trent, the group’s retail division. Although he is not on the board of Tata Sons, Noel currently heads Trent and Tata Investment Corporation.
Following Ratan Tata's passing earlier this week due to age-related health issues, Noel is stepping in to guide the Tata Trusts, which include the Sir Ratan Tata Trust & Allied Trusts and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust & Allied Trusts. Noel, an alumnus of Sussex University in the UK, also completed an executive program at INSEAD.
Noel Tata, the son of Naval H Tata and Simone N Tata, has held leadership roles in various Tata Group companies. Currently, he serves as Chairman of Trent, Tata International Ltd, Voltas, and Tata Investment Corporation, as well as Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Titan Company Ltd. With over four decades in the Tata Group, his last executive position was Managing Director of Tata International Ltd, where he expanded the company’s revenue from $500 million to more than $3 billion between 2010 and 2021. Before that, he led Trent Ltd, growing it from a single store to a retail network of over 700 stores.
Noel's family also has strong ties within the business world. He is married to Aloo Mistry, who is from a culturally diverse Parsi-French background and the sister of the late Cyrus Mistry, a former Tata Group Chairman. They have three children: Leah, Maya, and Neville. Leah, the eldest, is linked to both the Tata and Mistry families. Maya, a graduate of the University of Warwick and Bayes Business School, has worked with Tata Opportunities Fund and helped launch the Tata Neu app. Neville, their youngest child, is also involved in the family business, assisting in managing Trent’s well-known brands like Westside and Zudio.
