Ratan Tata’s first death anniversary:After death, dispute in Tata Group, Government had to intervene; what all changed from his leadership

Thursday, October 09, 2025 is Ratan Tata’s first death anniversary. Last year on October 9, 2024, he passed away at the age of 86. After this, there have been many major changes in the Tata Group. Additionally, several controversies have been ongoing in the conglomerate since his departure. Lets decode this! 1. Noel joins Tata Trusts and Sons board After Ratan Tata’s death in October 2024, his stepbrother Noel Tata was appointed as the chairman of Tata Trusts. Tata Trusts controls 65% of Tata Group’s shares. In November 2024, Noel was also inducted into the board of Tata Sons. This is the first time since 2011 that a member of the Tata family is present on both boards. Tata Sons is the holding company that runs companies like Tata Motors, Tata Steel, and TCS. This appointment of Noel was made as a nominated member of the trust, which shows that he is now playing a key role in determining the group’s strategy and future direction. Noel is already the chairman of Tata Group company Trent Limited (brands like Westside and Zara). Noel was the sole contender after Ratan Tata’s death Noel was the sole contender after Ratan Tata’s death. Although his brother Jimmy’s name was also in discussion, he had already retired. Noel is the son of Naval Tata’s second wife Simone. While Ratan Tata and Jimmy Tata are the children of Naval and his first wife Sooni. Noel started his career with Tata International. In 1999, he was made the Managing Director of Trent, the group’s retail branch. It was started by his mother Simone. In 2010-11, he was appointed as the chairman of Tata International. 2. Controversy after Ratan Tata’s passing away After Ratan Tata’s departure, his stepbrother Noel Tata was made chairman of Tata Trusts, but several media reports claimed this decision was not unanimous within the trust. Subsequently, a faction formed within the trust consisting of powerful old members like Mehli Mistry, who wanted direct interference in the decisions of Noel Tata and Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran. The biggest impact of the Trust’s internal fight was on the Tata Sons board, where seats became vacant due to the retirement of some nominee directors. Tata Trusts had to appoint new members to these seats, but the group led by Noel Tata and the Mistry group could not agree on any names. Even big names like Uday Kotak were rejected. 3. Shantanu received inheritance share, now becomes youngest manager Ratan Tata had given some share in his ₹10,000 crore will to Shantanu Naidu. Shantanu was Ratan Tata’s executive assistant and close friend. He had returned his stake in Shantanu’s startup ‘Goodfellows’ (companionship service for senior citizens) so that he could advance his social venture. What responsibility did Shantanu get after Tata’s death? After Ratan Tata’s death, Shantanu continued working in Ratan Tata’s private office until January 2025. After this, in February he became the youngest manager in the Tata Group. He was promoted to General Manager and Head of Strategic Initiatives at Tata Motors. Now Shantanu handles Electric Vehicle Innovation Strategic Projects at Tata Motors. His father also worked in the same Tata Motors plant. Additionally, Shantanu runs his startup Goodfellows. Goodfellows was launched in September 2022. Shantanu caught Tata’s attention through innovation for dogs Shantanu Naidu was working at Tata Elxsi in 2014 after completing his engineering. One day he thought of an idea to save stray dogs from cars on the road. He created reflective collars that made dogs visible at night. This project went viral under the name ‘Motopaws’. After being featured in the Tata Group newsletter, Shantanu wrote a letter to Ratan Tata requesting funding. Ratan himself was fond of dogs. He responded to the letter and called Shantanu to Mumbai to praise him. This is how the friendship between Ratan Tata and Shantanu began. In 2018, after completing his MBA, Shantanu became Ratan Tata’s assistant. 4. Command to New Generation After Ratan Tata’s passing, Noel’s children have also taken on new responsibilities in the Tata Group. In January 2025, Maya Tata (36 years), Leah Tata (39 years) and Neville Tata (32 years) were inducted into the Board of Trustees of Sir Ratan Tata Industrial Institute (SRTII). SRTII is an institution that provides training in skills like sewing and cooking to women. It was established by Ratan Tata’s grandmother Navajbai Tata in 1928. This appointment was made for the renovation of SRTII, which focuses on women’s empowerment. These two sisters are also trustees of smaller trusts associated with the Dorabji Tata Trust and Ratan Tata Trust besides SRTII. This step is part of the strategy to prepare the next generation in the Tata Group. 5. Four major changes occurred in Tata Trusts and companies