Noel Tata, 67, was appointed the new chairman of Tata Trusts, the philanthropic arm of the Tata group, on October 11, succeeding his half-brother Ratan Tata who died two days ago.
Son of Naval H Tata and Simone N Tata, Noel, who he has largely focused on Tata group's global retail operations, was already a trustee of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, which together own 66 percent of Tata Sons, the holding company of the diversified group.
He has been associated with the Tata Group for over four decades.
After graduating from Sussex University in the United Kingdom, Noel completed the International Executive Programme (IEP) from INSEAD in France.
Watch: Meet Noel Naval Tata - The new chairman of Tata Trusts
He started his career at Tata International, where he gained understanding of Tata Group's global operations.
In June 1999, Noel joined his mother Simone Dunoyer's retail business, Trent, as managing director. Under his leadership, Trent expanded significantly, especially with the creation of the Westside retail chain.
File: Noel Tata calls on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi (PTI)
In 2003, he took on new responsibilities when he was appointed director of Voltas and Titan Industries.
He was appointed as the chairman of Trent Limited in 2014.
He joined the board of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust in 2019. He became the vice chairman of Titan Company in 2018 and in March 2022, he was appointed vice chairman of Tata Steel, further strengthening his role within the group.
Before heading Trent, Noel Tata helmed Tata International Ltd between 2010 and 2021. During his stint, the company's revenue surged from $500 million to over $3 billion.
Noel Tata is on many listed entities of Tata Group, which include Voltas Ltd and Tata Steel Ltd.
His three children — Neville, Maya and Leah— also serve as trustees of charities linked to the Tata family. Noel is married to Aloo Mistri, who is the sister of late Cyrus Mistry from the Shapoorji Pallonji family.
Known for keeping a low-profile, Noel’s leadership style is opposite to Ratan Tata's very public presence.
"Noel is well versed with how Tata businesses are run. In retail, many people thought how will Tata compete with the big retailers. Noel has shown it," said Sanjay Singh, a former Tata Sons executive who retired in 2019.
"He has kept a low profile so the outer world doesn’t know him well, but he is quintessential Tata."
Tata Trusts was setup by Noel and Ratan's great grandfather Jamsetji Tata in 1892, years after he founded the Tata group. Tata Trusts has since diversified into various sectors such as education, healthcare and housing.
The decision to appoint Noel Tata was reportedly unanimous and came two days after Ratan Tata died in a Mumbai hospital aged 86.
Industry titans, politicians, celebrities and thousands of people queued up in Mumbai on October 10 to pay their last respects to one of India's most respected corporate leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tributes to Ratan Tata, describing as "a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being".
(With agency inputs)
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