After first post-Mehli Mistry exit meeting, Tata Trusts inducts Noel Tata’s son Neville and Titan veteran Bhaskar Bhat to board

Neville Tata, 32, a Bayes Business School graduate, joined Trent in 2016.

Tata Trusts has inducted Neville Tata, son of chairman Noel Tata, and group veteran Bhaskar Bhat to the board of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT).

As per the official statement, trustees also revised Venu Srinivasan's tenure from a life term to three years, following a Maharashtra government rule limiting the number of lifetime trustees, a move affecting Tata Trusts' governance framework.

The move strengthens Neville Tata's position within the Tata ecosystem. The 32-year-old, a Bayes Business School graduate, joined Trent in 2016, initially managing the packaged foods and beverages vertical, and later led Zudio, the value fashion brand that has emerged as one of India's fastest-growing apparel formats.

He currently serves on the boards of JRD Tata Trust, Tata Social Welfare Trust, and RD Tata Trust, and could also be inducted into Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), which, together with SDTT, holds more than 51% of Tata Sons.

Bhaskar Bhat, 71, an IIT Madras and IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, began his career at Godrej & Boyce in 1978 before joining the Tata Watch Project, which later became Titan. As managing director from 2002 to 2019, he expanded Titan's portfolio beyond watches into eyewear, jewellery, fragrances, accessories, and sarees, growing its market capitalisation to around $13 billion, making it the Tata Group's second-largest listed firm at the time.

What you need to know about Tata Trusts

Established in 1892, the Tata Trusts are India’s oldest and amongst Asia's largest philanthropic institutions.

They have played a pioneering role in bringing about an enduring difference in the lives of the communities they serve, advancing equity, resilience, and shared progress.

Inspired by the vision of the Founder Jamsetji Tata and guided by a legacy of proactive philanthropy, the Tata Trusts work to catalyse systemic and sustainable change across diverse areas by building institutions, strengthening public systems, and accelerating socio-economic development in a wide variety of areas- healthcare; nutrition; education; water, sanitation and hygiene; urban and rural livelihoods, amongst others.

The Trusts build meaningful solutions, bridging tradition and innovation, through collaborations that nurture grassroots efforts, empower change makers, and touch lives across India.