ET Exclusive: Tata Trusts appoints Noel Tata's son Neville, Bhaskar Bhat Trustees

Tata Trusts today inducted Neville Tata, son of Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata, and group veteran Bhaskar Bhat, to the board of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT). At a meeting held on Tuesday, the board of trustees also revised Venu Srinivasan’s tenure from a life term to three years, following a new Maharashtra government rule that capped the number of lifetime trustees, a change with direct implications for Tata Trusts and its longstanding governance framework.

The development marks a consolidation of control by Noel Tata, and the rise of Neville, 32, who now joins the ranks of the most influential individuals in the Tata universe, setting the stage for an influential, long-term career at the group bearing his surname.

After earning his business degree from Bayes Business School, Neville, 32, joined Trent in 2016, beginning with the packaged foods and beverages vertical. He later went on to lead Zudio, the value fashion brand that has since become one of the fastest-growing apparel formats in India.

ET Exclusive: New Maharashtra rule to impede Tata Trustees' plans

Neville is already on the board of JRD Tata Trust, Tata Social Welfare Trust and RD Tata Trust. Officials said he could also be inducted in Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), the other key trust that together with SDTT own more than 51% equity in Tata Sons, the group’s holding company.

Tata Trusts did not comment.

An IIT Madras and IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, 71-year old Bhat began his career in 1978 as a management trainee at Godrej & Boyce before joining the Tata Watch Project, which later became Titan.

During his 17-year tenure as managing director from 2002 to 2019, he steered Titan expanded beyond watches into eyewear, jewellery, fragrances, accessories and sarees, growing its market capitalization to about $13 billion, making it the Tata Group’s second-largest listed firm at the time.