In a major shake-up at the Tata Trusts, Mehli Mistry — once considered a close confidant of Ratan Tata — is set to exit the apex charitable bodies after chairman Noel Tata, vice chairman Venu Srinivasan and trustee Vijay Singh declined to approve the renewal of his term, people familiar with the matter said.
In a major development in the ongoing Tata Trusts board deliberations, Mehli Mistry’s re-appointment as a Trustee is unlikely to go through, according to sources close to the Tata Group, as reported by CNBC-TV18.
Sources said that at least three trustees have voted against Mistry’s re-appointment, effectively blocking the move since Tata Trusts’ rules require unanimous approval for any trustee reappointment. Under the Trusts’ governance structure, even a single dissenting vote can halt the process.
Mistry’s current term as Trustee is set to end on October 28, and all members of the Tata Trusts board have reportedly submitted their views on the matter.
Under Tata Trusts’ governance framework, the reappointment of any trustee requires unanimous consent from all board members — meaning even one dissenting vote can block the process. That condition now appears to have come into effect.
It was reported earlier on October 27 that Mehli Mistry’s term as trustee was set to end on October 28, with the process to extend his tenure still underway. The Trusts had circulated a resolution seeking unanimous approval from all trustees for his reappointment.
Mistry, a long-time associate of Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata, was inducted into the Tata Trusts board in 2022 as part of a leadership restructuring aimed at strengthening governance and oversight of the group’s philanthropic and strategic activities.
However, the latest developments suggest internal differences over his continuation. The voting process — conducted through a circular resolution — appears to have revealed divergent opinions among trustees, a rare occurrence in the Trusts’ history of largely consensus-based decision-making.
Tata Trusts, which collectively hold a majority stake in Tata Sons, have so far declined to comment publicly on the reappointment process.
