MC EXCLUSIVE Mehli Mistry steps down from NCPA board, Tata Trusts’ Vijay Singh replaces him

NCPA

Mehli Mistry, who was recently ousted from the powerful Tata Trusts board amid a rift between key trustees, has now also stepped down from the governing council or the board of the prestigious National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, people aware of the development told Moneycontrol.

Mistry has been replaced on the NCPA council by Vijay Singh, a trustee of the Tata Trusts, the sources added.

Mistry was on the NCPA council as a nominee of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and served alongside other Trusts’ representatives, including Jehangir H. Jehangir and Pramit Jhaveri. His exit from the NCPA board follows closely on the heels of his departure from the Tata Trusts, marking another loss of an institutional position for the long-time associate of the Tata group.

Other members of the NCPA council include K. N. Suntook, Chairman and Member-in-Charge, Noel Tata, who serves as Vice Chairman, Brinda Khatau, as well as several nominees of the Maharashtra state government.

The National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai, was founded in 1969 at the initiative of J R D Tata, then chairman of the Tata group, with support from the Tata Trusts and a group of leading patrons of the arts. Envisioned as a world-class, multi-venue performing arts complex, the NCPA was created to promote and preserve India’s diverse cultural traditions while also hosting global theatre, music and dance productions. The centre was formally inaugurated in 1970 and has since grown into one of India’s most prestigious cultural institutions.

Mails to Mistry, Vijay Singh, NCPA and Tata Trusts remained unanswered till the time of publication.

As reported earlier by Moneycontrol, Mistry was removed as a trustee of the Tata Trusts following differences with a section of the current leadership. His reappointment was blocked by a group of trustees,  Noel Tata, Vijay Singh and Venu Srinivasan, after which Mistry stepped down from the Trusts.

The Tata Trusts together hold a majority stake in Tata Sons and play a decisive role in the governance of India’s largest business group. Mistry’s exit was seen as a significant development given his long association with the Trusts and his close relationship with the late Ratan Tata.

Following his removal from the Trusts, Mistry also stepped down from the board of the Small Animal Hospital Trust, a charitable initiative founded by Ratan Tata. The hospital project, which focuses on advanced veterinary care, is one of the philanthropic initiatives closely associated with legacy causes of the Tata Trusts.

In his resignation from the animal hospital trust, Mistry indicated that since he was no longer associated with Tata Trusts, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in that role.

His exit from NCPA now completes his withdrawal from three high-profile Tata-linked institutions within a short span.

Mistry had for decades been regarded as a trusted lieutenant of Ratan Tata and had served on several philanthropic and institutional boards linked to the Tata ecosystem. His association spanned both business-adjacent roles and charitable initiatives supported by the Trusts.

Following Ratan Tata’s passing last year, changes in the governance structure of the Trusts gathered pace, with Noel Tata assuming the chairmanship and a reconfiguration of trustee roles following soon after. The decision not to renew Mistry’s term as trustee emerged from this transition.

The latest development mark the end of a long phase of Mistry’s involvement in some of the most influential philanthropic and cultural bodies linked to the Tata group.