Mehli Mistry voted out from Tata Trusts

The three trustees who opposed his reappointment were Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, Venu Srinivasan, chairman of the TVS Group and former Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, sources said.

At the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Darius Khambata and Pramit Jhaveri supported Mistry’s continuation

Mehli Mistry, a close confidant of Ratan Tata, is on his way out of Tata Trusts after a majority of trustees voted against his reappointment to the boards of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. With three of the six trustees opposing his renomination through a circular resolution circulated last week, Mistry is set to step down from the governing boards of the Tata Trusts.

The three trustees who opposed his reappointment were Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, Venu Srinivasan, chairman of the TVS Group and former Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, sources said.

At the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Darius Khambata and Pramit Jhaveri supported Mistry’s continuation, while at the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Khambata and Jehangir HC Jehangir voted in his favour. The split verdict underscores growing differences within the trusts’ leadership over appointments and governance matters, marking the end of Mehli Mistry’s formal association with two of India’s most influential philanthropic institutions.

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Mistry was first inducted as trustee in 2022, with his current three-year term expiring on October 28. The latest proposal comes against the backdrop of reported internal rifts within Tata Trusts, with a faction seen as aligned with Chairman Noel Tata and another group led by Mistry, comprising Ratan Tata loyalists.

Tata Trusts collectively hold 66 per cent of Tata Sons, making them the most powerful shareholder in the conglomerate.

Earlier this week, Tata Trusts unanimously reappointed Venu Srinivasan as a lifetime trustee, with the backing of Mehli Mistry. Mistry, along with trustees Pramit Jhaveri, Jehangir H.C. Jehangir, and Darius Khambata, supported Srinivasan’s reappointment as a trustee of Tata Trusts.
However, they attached a key condition — that all future renewals of trustees must be approved unanimously. In the absence of unanimity, they warned, their approvals would stand withdrawn. During Ratan Tata’s tenure, voting was never an option within the Trusts. Decisions were traditionally reached through consensus and collective agreement — a practice now being tested amid signs of internal friction.

Noel Tata, Srinivasan and Singh apparently ignored the conditions proposed by Mistry. It remains unclear whether Mistry will now revoke his earlier conditional approval for Venu Srinivasan’s continuation as a trustee, or pursue legal recourse to challenge his rejection. Under Ratan Tata’s leadership, the selection of trustees was traditionally guided by consensus and unanimity.
Mistry was part of the four-member Executive Committee of Tata Trusts, currently headed by Noel Tata. Vijay Singh and Venu Srinivasan are Vice Chairman of the Trusts. Vijay Singh had to quit Tata Sons board last month as his renomination was opposed by four trustees — Mistry, Darius Khambata, Pramit Jhaveri, and Jehangir HC Jehangir.

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Both Srinivasan and Mistry were supposed to become trustees for life in accordance with a resolution passed in a board meeting on October 17 last year. As per a resolution passed by Tata Trusts on October 17, 2024, any trustee whose tenure expires will be reappointed by the concerned trust without limitation on the period of such reappointment, subject to applicable laws. In effect, trustees are now eligible for life-long appointments. Noel Tata was elected Chairman of Tata Trusts on October 11, 2024, following the demise of Ratan Tata on October 9, 2024. At that time, Mistry had supported Noel Tata’s candidature for the chairmanship.

While trustees Noel Tata, Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh were earlier reportedly opposed to Mistry’s continuation, Mistry enjoyed the support of trustees Pramit Jhaveri, Darius Khambatta and Jehangir H.C. Jehangir.

The latest flashpoint emerged a month ago when a bloc of four trustees, led by 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 (3-4) within the Tata Trusts — a rare and public sign of discord inside one of India’s most revered corporate institutions. Singh subsequently resigned from the Tata Sons board in the second week of September 2025. Though Srinivasan and Noel Tata supported him, it wasn’t enough for Singh as all Tata Trusts’ decisions need to be unanimous.
In turn, Srinivasan and Tata opposed Mistry’s candidature for Tata Sons board, exposing the deep rift among the trustees. Sources familiar with the developments said there is no possibility of Noel reconsidering his decision to reject Mistry’s bid for a board seat at Tata Sons.
Tata Sons board now has to fill four vacancies after Singh’s exit. The other three slots opened up after the exit of former Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth, industrialist Ajay Piramal and independent director Leo Puri. What began as subtle dissonance after Noel’s selection as Chairman, had hardened into two distinct factions, each claiming to uphold the “true spirit” of the Tata legacy.