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The six people sitting on the board of Tata Sons
Here's a look at the six-member board of Tata Sons, the holding Tata Group company commanding India's largest conglomerate.
The Tata Sons board has six members, including executive chairperson Natarajan Chandrasekaran and executive director and chief financial officer Saurabh Agrawal. It has two nominees from Tata Trusts - Noel Tata and Venu Srinivasan - and two independent directors Harish Manwani and Anita George. Srinivasan, Agrawal, George and Manwani voted for the reappointment of Chandrasekaran as Tata Sons chairman on Thursday, while Tata opposed it.
Noel Tata: The reticent patriarch of the Tata Group has long stayed on the sidelines as his half brother Ratan Tata headed the storied business house for over three decades. The economics graduate from the University of Sussex proved his business chops by turning Trent into one of the most valuable fashion retailers in the country. However, the 69-year-old is yet to be tested as the leader of a large conglomerate. Those who know him describe him as exceptionally polite and gentlemanly.
N Chandrasekaran: The Tata Group lifer started his career as a trainee programmer at Tata Consultancy Services in 1987. He rose through the ranks to lead the company as its CEO from 2009 to 2017. His performance at TCS earned him an invitation to the Tata Sons board of directors in October 2016. Backed by Ratan Tata to lead the Tata Group, he was selected as the Tata Sons chairman by a committee in January 2017. Called Chandra by those close to him, he is fond of long-distance running and participates every year in the Mumbai Marathon that the Tata Group sponsors.
The Tata Sons board comprises six members: Natarajan Chandrasekaran (executive chairperson), Saurabh Agrawal (executive director and CFO), Noel Tata, Venu Srinivasan (both nominees from Tata Trusts), and independent directors Harish Manwani and Anita George.
Chandrasekaran's reappointment was due to the board's appreciation for his contributions to Tata Group and a request from the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, which sought to reverse his earlier decision not to seek another term.
Noel Tata voted against Chandrasekaran's reappointment, opposing the resolution that was carried by a majority vote in favor of Chandrasekaran continuing as chairman for another term.
The board justified the reappointment by citing Chandrasekaran's significant contributions to the Tata Group and the consideration of the company's larger interests, particularly in the context of a potential public listing.
A listing of Tata Sons is significant as it would increase transparency, enable price discovery, and potentially benefit around 1.77 crore shareholders of listed Tata group companies by enhancing governance expectations.
Venu Srinivasan: The chairman-emeritus of TVS Motor Co. was a friend of Ratan Tata. The two industrialists developed a relationship as leaders of Indian industry and their association with the Warwick Manufacturing Group, founded by Kumar Bhattacharya. Srinivasan is known for his staunch belief in investments in research and development and in quality management. He was one of the pioneers of the Total Quality Management philosophy. Srinivasan famously spent time working as a mechanic and on the manufacturing shop floor of TVS.
Saurabh Agrawal: Agrawal is a long-distance runner like his boss Chandrasekaran, who hand-picked him to lead the finance function at Tata Sons. Agarwal holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Roorkee and a post graduate diploma in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. He had a successful career as an investment banker having held senior positions at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Standard Chartered Bank before the Aditya Birla Group. He oversaw the merger of Idea Cellular Ltd with Vodafone India. Those who have worked with him have described him as decisive and a smart dealmaker. Agrawal joined Tata Sons in June 2017.
Anita George: A champion of sustainable finance, George has held senior positions at prestigious institutions like Canadian pension fund Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec, the World Bank, and International Finance Corp.. She holds a dual master's degree in Economic Policy and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Spanish from Smith College. She was appointed as an independent director on the Tata Sons board in July 2022.
Harish Manwani: A former global chief operating officer for Unilever and the former chairman of Hindustan Unilever Limited, Manwani joined the Tata Sons board as an independent director in May 2018. He had a long career at the consumer goods major, having held senior positions across North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Post his retirement from Unilever, he joined Blackstone Private Equity group as an executive advisor in 2015. He holds a B.Sc. (Honors) degree from Bombay University and a Master’s degree in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.
Nehal chronicles India’s top conglomerates for Mint. From navigating the complexities of big-bang mergers and large-scale fundraises to decoding high-profile recruitments and seemingly inexplicable corporate pivots, Nehal focuses on unpacking the long-term strategies of the country’s most influential business houses. He aims to provide readers with a clear-eyed view of how these corporate titans shape the broader Indian economy.<br><br>His professional journey began at The Economic Times in 2018, where he spent over five years before joining Mint in 2023. Over his career, he has tracked diverse sectors like automobiles, metals, cement, power, infrastructure, and renewable energy. He also keeps a close watch on the intricacies of corporate finance and corporate governance. This wide-ranging sectoral experience allows him to better understand India’s large conglomerates that sit at the confluence of these vital industries.<br><br>Nehal studied mechanical engineering from the Pune University and graduated with distinction in 2017. Driven by a passion for storytelling, he pivoted to journalism immediately after, attending the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai. While his time in the newsroom has made him a healthy sceptic, his engineering roots keep him perpetually inquisitive about how things work—and why they fail.<br><br>He actively encourages readers to reach out for feedback, collaboration, or news tips. Nehal can be reached via LinkedIn or directly at nehal.chaliawala@livemint.com.