Speaking with TOI, Soonawala described said, “[It is] painful to see what is happening at the Tatas, a group where I have dedicated almost my entire career”.
“I hope the trustees of Tata Trusts resolve their issues,” the former vice-chairman of Tata Sons and ex-trustee of Tata Trusts added.
Meanwhile, when asked if he might serve as a mediator among the conflicting trustees, Soonawala replied, “I’m now an outsider, having stepped down from my roles several years ago…”I read about their differences in the newspapers. What is the real issue? It is a 157-year-old group.”
Soonawala joined the Tata Group in 1968 and was instrumental in several landmark financial initiatives, including the Rs 300-crore rights issue in 1995 that allowed listed Tata companies to acquire stakes in Tata Sons, along with subsequent debenture offerings that strengthened the group’s finances.
He retired from Tata Sons in 2010 and stepped down from Tata Trusts in 2019. Soonawala, who shared close ties not only with Ratan Tata but also with his half-brother Noel Tata, the current chairman of Tata Trusts, and Noel’s mother Simone Tata, now observes the current disputes from the sidelines. The public emergence of these governance tensions that have wracked the Tata Group occurred in mid-September, less than a year after the passing of former Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata. Although the Tata veteran had long supported Noel Tata’s succession at Tata Sons, the chairmanship ultimately went to Noel’s late brother-in-law, Cyrus Mistry, and later to TCS executive N. Chandrasekaran.
Key decisions & governance disputes
Soonawala was the only Tata veteran invited to the critical meetings on October 11 and October 17, 2024, where major decisions were taken following Ratan Tata’s death on October 9, 2024. His presence underscored his ongoing closeness to Noel Tata.
Tata Trusts controls Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group.
At the October 11 session, trustees led by Mehli Mistry appointed Noel Tata as chairman of the charities. According to Soonawala, the discussion also included extending trustees’ tenures indefinitely.
On October 17, Noel Tata was designated a nominee director of the charities on the Tata Sons board. That meeting also established that nominee directors aged over 75 would undergo an annual review — a resolution that had earlier triggered disagreements at the September 11, 2025, meeting when a majority opposed the continuation of trustee nominee Vijay Singh, 77, who later resigned.
The October 17 resolution further stipulated that trustees reaching the end of their tenure could be reappointed by the relevant Trust with no limit on duration.
Currently, only Noel Tata and Trusts vice-chairman Venu Srinivasan have been granted lifetime appointments. Recently, a proposal was circulated to extend Mehli Mistry’s tenure for life as well – a move likely to not be approved by Noel Tata as well as vice chairman Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh, according to an ET report.
