Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Tata executives, family scions in race for chairman
A very big group of companies in India called Tata is getting ready to choose a new boss.
The current chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, will step down when his time ends in February 2027.
Tata is 158 years old and almost everyone in India knows its name.
Several leaders who run Tata companies want the job, like the person who heads Tata Steel and the person who heads Tata Power.
The Tata founders' family is also involved—Uncle Noel Tata, who looks after the group's charities, might want his son Neville or daughter Maya to lead.
Neville helped make a popular clothing brand called Zudio, and Maya has experience with online shopping apps like Tata Neu and BigBasket.
Recently, the group's profit went down because some businesses, like the airline Air India, are losing money.
The people in charge want the change to be smooth and calm so Tata stays strong.
Everyone is waiting for a big meeting on August 18 that will help decide who gets the top job.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran will step down as Tata Sons chairman when his term ends in February 2027, triggering a leadership search.
Leading contenders include Tata Steel CEO T.V. Narendran, Tata Power CEO Praveer Sinha, Tata Motors PV CEO Shailesh Chandra, Tata Chemicals CEO Ramakrishnan Mukundan, and Tata Sons CFO Saurabh Agrawal.
Noel Tata's children, Neville (32) and Maya, are in discussions for the top job after joining Tata Trusts as trustees.
Tata Sons' consolidated net profit fell 35% to ₹266 billion in the year ended March 2026, with losses at Air India, Tata Digital and Tata Electronics.
The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust has started the selection process, and an August 18 board meeting is expected to decide how the Selection Committee will be formed.
- Who
- Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, who is stepping down, and contenders including Tata Steel CEO T.V. Narendran, Tata Power CEO Praveer Sinha, Tata Motors PV CEO Shailesh Chandra, Tata Chemicals CEO Ramakrishnan Mukundan, Tata Sons CFO Saurabh Agrawal, and Noel Tata's children Neville and Maya Tata.
- What
- A leadership race is underway to pick the next chairman of Tata Sons, India's largest business conglomerate.
- When
- After Chandrasekaran announced he would not seek reappointment; his term ends in February 2027, and an August 18 board meeting is expected to set up the Selection Committee.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- Chandrasekaran's decision not to seek another term set off an unexpected leadership transition at the 158-year-old group.
Experienced insider leadership
Fresh family leadership
Choosing the next chairman
Experienced insider leadership
Group CEOs with proven sector expertise and loyalty, such as T.V. Narendran and Praveer Sinha, are strong candidates; Noel Tata is known to favour insiders over bankers.
Fresh family leadership
Noel Tata may instead seek to elevate his children, Neville and Maya, who bring modern consumer strategy and digital commerce experience from Trent, Tata Digital, Tata Capital and the Tata Neu platform.
Capital allocation and profitability
Experienced insider leadership
Under Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons made some of its largest-ever capital commitments, including bankrolling India's first semiconductor plant and pushing ambitions to become a major Apple supplier, keeping strategic bets at full scale.
Fresh family leadership
Chandrasekaran's proposed term extension stalled when one board member did not support it, and local reports point to friction with Noel Tata over profitability and capital allocation to loss-making businesses such as Air India, Tata Digital and Tata Electronics.
- Conglomerate age
- 158 years
- Current chairman
- Natarajan Chandrasekaran
- Chairman's term ends
- February 2027
- Noel Tata's role
- Chairman of Tata Trusts
- Tata Trusts
- Collective of 13 charities controlling Tata Sons
- Neville Tata's age
- 32 years
- Net profit in year ended March 2026
- ₹266 billion, down 35%
- Next board meeting
- August 18
