Two weeks after Mehli Mistry’s removal from the board of Tata Trusts, the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust’s Board of Trustees has approved the appointment of Bhaskar Bhat and Neville Tata as trustees, effective November 12, 2025, for three years.
The recent changes indicate that Noel Tata is strengthening his position within Tata Trusts. The SDTT board appointed Venu Srinivasan, head of TVS, as a trustee for three years beginning November 12, 2025, and designated him as Vice Chairman of SDTT, adhering to legal and regulatory standards.
Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust are the primary trusts within Tata Trusts, overseeing several smaller trusts. Key board members of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust include Neville, proposed by Darius Khambata, and Bhat, proposed by Vijay Singh, along with Noel N Tata, Venu Srinivasan, former Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, former Citi India CEO Pramit Jhaveri, and Darius Khambata.
The Tata Trusts saw new additions following Mehli Mistry’s departure from the Tata group on November 4, after a dispute with Chairman Noel Tata and other trustees. Mistry, a close associate of Ratan Tata, was voted out by the trustees when his renomination was proposed, expressing concerns that further actions might harm the Trusts’ reputation.
Tata Trusts hold a 66% stake in Tata Sons, the main holding entity of the Tata group, with SDTT controlling 28% and Sir Ratan Tata Trust holding 24%. The recent appointments were made in the first meeting following Mistry’s exit.
Bhaskar Bhat served as the Managing Director of Titan Company from April 2002 until his retirement on September 30, 2019, significantly transforming India’s watch industry. His career at Titan spanned 36 years, beginning as a management trainee. Bhat also held a board position at Tata Sons and is an alumnus of IIT Madras and IIM Ahmedabad.
After graduating from Bayes Business School, Neville Tata joined Trent, a family-run company, in 2016. He manages operations for Zudio, a prominent fashion retail brand in west and south India, and his leadership has greatly enhanced Zudio’s growth. Currently, he also leads the hypermarket division, Star Bazaar, of Trent Ltd.
Tata watchers anticipate further additions to Tata Trusts in 2026 and 2027, strengthening Noel Tata’s influence. Following Mistry’s departure, a sense of calm and stability is expected to resume at India’s prominent business conglomerate, valued at $328 billion in market capitalization and $180 billion in revenue.
