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Pramit Jhaveri to leave Dorabji Tata Trust, not to seek reappointment

“The letter stepping down before he comes up for another term on February 11 has been sent to Noel Tata and copied to other trustees of the Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust. It was expected,” a senior Tata group official said.

3 min readMumbaiFeb 1, 2026 04:00 AM IST

Tata Trusts witnessed tensions last year when four trustees -- Pramit Jhaveri, Darius Khambatta, Jehangir H.C. Jehangir and Mehli Mistry -- opposed Vijay Singh’s reappointment as nominee director on the board of Tata Sons, the group’s principal holding company.

In a move that would further consolidate the position of Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata within the Tata group, former Citibank India CEO Pramit Jhaveri has decided not to seek reappointment as a trustee on the board of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT). Jhaveri’s term will end on February 11.

In a letter to Noel Tata, Jhaveri said, “I have served as a Trustee of the Sir Dorab Tata Trust (SDTT) since February 12, 2020, when Ratan N. Tata invited me to join as a Trustee. As discussed with you some days ago, I am now writing to let you know that I do not wish to be considered for re-appointment as a Trustee of SDTT when my current term expires on February 11, 2026.”

“The letter stepping down before he comes up for another term on February 11 has been sent to Noel Tata and copied to other trustees of the Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust. It was expected,” a senior Tata group official said.

Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust are the two principal trusts within the Tata Trusts framework and together play a decisive role in overseeing the Tata Group through their shareholding in Tata Sons. Apart from Noel N. Tata, other trustees of SDTT include TVS group’s Venu Srinivasan, former Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, Pramit Jhaveri, senior lawyer Darius Khambata, Noel Tata’s son Neville N. Tata and former Titan MD Bhaskar Bhat.

Tata Trusts witnessed tensions last year when four trustees — Pramit Jhaveri, Darius Khambatta, Jehangir H.C. Jehangir and Mehli Mistry — opposed Vijay Singh’s reappointment as nominee director on the board of Tata Sons, the group’s principal holding company. The move triggered an unprecedented split within the Tata Trusts with Noel Tata and Srinivasan supporting Singh, a rare and public sign of discord inside one of India’s most revered corporate institutions.

On October 28, Mistry was voted out from Tata Trusts when his reappointment came up for approval. On November 4, 2025, Mehli Mistry, who had been involved in a tussle with Noel Tata and other trustees, parted ways with the Tata group, saying that “precipitating matters would cause irreparable harm to the reputation of the Tata Trusts”.

The exit of Mistry and Jhaveri indicates the shifting power equations within Tata Trusts. Their exit is seen as a consolidation of influence by Noel Tata, who succeeded Ratan Tata as chairman earlier last year. Mistry, a long-time associate of Ratan Tata and a cousin of former Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry, was known to have played a behind-the-scenes role during key strategic phases of the Trusts’ functioning.

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On January 17, the board of the Sir Ratan Tata Trusts (SRTT) could not induct Neville Tata, son of Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, as a trustee as anticipated, with the meeting being postponed amid uncertainty over the timing of the appointment of the Tata scion. In November 2025, the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust had unanimously approved the induction of Neville Tata and Bhaskar Bhat as trustees for a three-year term beginning November 12. However, the SRTT board was then unable to induct Neville at that time due to certain procedural issues.