SRTT board meet on Neville Tata’s appointment cancelled amid quorum issues

A proposed board meeting of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), scheduled for January 17 to consider the appointment of Neville Tata, son of Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata, as a trustee, was cancelled due to lack of quorum, according to media reports.

The cancellation comes more than two months after an earlier attempt to induct Neville Tata onto the SRTT board failed. The Sir Ratan Tata Trust holds 23.6% stake in Tata Sons, the promoter holding company of the over $180 billion Tata Group.

Reports indicated that the meeting may be rescheduled in the coming days. However, they also suggested that the cancellation could reflect the need for further deliberations among trustees to reach a consensus on the appointment.

In November 2025, Tata Trusts had announced the induction of Neville Tata and veteran Tata Group executive Bhaskar Bhat to the board of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT).

At the same time, the SDTT board revised trustee Venu Srinivasan’s tenure from a lifetime term to three years, in line with a new Maharashtra government regulation capping the number of lifetime trustees. The regulatory change has significant implications for Tata Trusts, which together hold a controlling stake in Tata Sons and play a central role in the group’s governance.

Neville Tata’s induction signals a gradual consolidation of leadership within the extended Tata family. A graduate of Bayes Business School, London, he began his career at Trent Ltd. in 2016, initially overseeing the packaged foods and beverages business before taking charge of Zudio, Trent’s value fashion brand. Under his leadership, Zudio has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing apparel chains, driving Trent’s expansion in the affordable fashion segment.

Neville currently serves on the boards of the JRD Tata Trust, Tata Social Welfare Trust, and RD Tata Trust. Officials indicated that he may also be inducted into the Sir Ratan Tata Trust—the other key philanthropic trust which, along with SDTT, collectively owns over 51% of Tata Sons. His expanding role across multiple trusts positions him as an increasingly influential figure within the Tata ecosystem.

Bhaskar Bhat (71), an alumnus of IIT Madras and IIM Ahmedabad, is widely credited with transforming Titan Company into one of India’s most successful lifestyle businesses. He began his career at Godrej & Boyce in 1978 before joining the Tata Watch Project, which later became Titan.

As Titan’s managing director from 2002 to 2019, Bhat led the company’s diversification from watches into jewellery, eyewear, fragrances, accessories, and sarees. Under his leadership, Titan’s market capitalisation rose to approximately $13 billion, making it the Tata Group’s second-largest listed company at the time.