2 weeks ago
Tata Group searches internally for successor to chairman Chandrasekaran
The Tata Group is a huge Indian company family that makes steel, cars, software, tea, and even runs an airline.
The person in charge, N. Chandrasekaran, is going to leave his job in February.
So the group needs to find a new boss.
The search is mostly looking at people who already work inside the company.
One very important person in this decision is Noel Tata, because the family charity he leads controls most of the group.
The new boss will have a hard job because the airline Air India is losing a lot of money, and Tata Digital is also struggling.
The top candidates include the leaders of Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, and Tata Chemicals.
The next boss will need to fix difficult businesses, not just take care of easy ones.
Choosing someone from inside the group might be the safest option.
That is because knowing how the whole company works may be the key to fixing it.
Tata Group has begun searching for a successor to Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran, who will step down when his term ends next February.
The early focus is on internal candidates, though an outsider has not been ruled out.
Noel Tata, who chairs Tata Trusts controlling about two-thirds of Tata Sons, is seen as a key power broker in the succession race.
Leading internal contenders include T.V. Narendran of Tata Steel, Shailesh Chandra of Tata Motors, Praveer Sinha of Tata Power and R. Mukundan of Tata Chemicals.
Persistent losses at Air India (Rs 26,800 crore last financial year) and Tata Digital are believed to have played a role in Chandrasekaran's departure and will weigh on his successor.
- Who
- Tata Group, with outgoing Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran and kingmaker Noel Tata; leading candidates include T.V. Narendran, Shailesh Chandra, Praveer Sinha and R. Mukundan.
- What
- The group's hunt for Chandrasekaran's replacement as Tata Sons chairman, with the focus on experienced internal executives.
- Where
- India, where the Tata Group is headquartered and operates its many businesses.
- When
- The search comes ahead of Chandrasekaran's departure when his term as Tata Sons chairman ends next February.
- Why
- Chandrasekaran is stepping down, a departure believed to be linked to frustration over persistent losses at Air India and Tata Digital.
Insider candidate
Outsider candidate
Choosing the next chairman
Insider candidate
The next chairman should come from Tata's deep bench of insiders, who have spent decades understanding the sprawling conglomerate, the trusts, the family and the Indian government.
Outsider candidate
An outsider has not been ruled out, and someone new could bring fresh perspective to troubled businesses, though finding a candidate who understands steel, cars, airlines, software, power and chemicals would be an extraordinary headhunting exercise.
Role of the next generation
Insider candidate
Noel Tata is keen to give his children, including his son Neville, greater responsibility over time, ideally grooming them for bigger roles within the Tata world.
Outsider candidate
Putting a relatively young family member straight into the Tata Sons chairman's job would be very different from gradual grooming, making an experienced insider the safer choice.
Key facts
- Group
- Tata Group
- Outgoing chairman
- N. Chandrasekaran, stepping down when his term ends next February
- Key power broker
- Noel Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, which controls about two-thirds of Tata Sons
- Leading candidates
- T.V. Narendran, Shailesh Chandra, Praveer Sinha, R. Mukundan
- Air India loss
- Rs 26,800 crore in the last financial year
- Tata Steel output
- Record 23.4 million tonnes from Indian operations in the year to March 2026
- Tata Chemicals profit
- Fell 81% year-on-year to Rs 60 crore in the quarter to June 2026
- Tata Motors sales
- Passenger vehicle sales rose 46% year-on-year in the April-June 2026 quarter to over 182,000 vehicles











