Maya and Leah, daughters of Noel Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, have joined the board of trustees of Sir Ratan Tata Industrial Institute (SRTII). SRTII is a key subset of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, one of the main shareholders of Tata Sons, the group holding company.
The sisters replaced the outgoing trustees Arnaz Kotwal and Freddy Talati, who had stepped down to give opportunities for the new appointments. This transition was unsuccessful without any controversy; it caused an internal rift. However, three children of Noel Tata are now on the boards of the smaller Tata Trusts, though they are not yet part of two main trusts: Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Allied Trusts and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Allied Trusts.
Sir Ratan Tata, who passed away on October 9, 2024, was the man who introduced the Tata Group as a global giant. Till his death, he was the chairman of Tata Trusts, which has a stake of about 66% through a complex ownership structure in Tata Sons.
According to an Economic Times report, two daughters of Noel Tata, Maya, and Leah, were inducted on the board of trustees of the Sir Ratan Tata Industrial Institute (SRTII), a key part of the Sir Ratan Tata trust. Maya and Leah, are inducted in the place of outgoing trustees Arnaz Kotwal and Freddy Talati. This transition sparks an internal rift.
Internal rift sparks
This transition caused controversy and an internal rift sparked. Outgoing trustee Arnaz Kotwal expressed her disapproval by writing a letter to a fellow trustee stating, “I felt blindsided by the request to resign, and I was saddened that none of you reached out to speak with me directly about this matter. The other outgoing trustee Freddy Talati, is currently handling the Chief Operating Officer position of the National Centre for the Performing Art (NCPA), as per the Business Today report.
SRTII, established in 1928 by Lady Navajbai Tata and the Stree Zarthosti Mandal, is determined to employ underprivileged women. This institute offers training in different skill sets such as cooking, sewing, embroidery, and Montessori teaching.
According to the Business Today report, the appointments of both Maya and Leah Tata are made to align them with SRTII’s ongoing renovation and degradation plans. The Board of SRTT, which approved the appointment anonymously, includes Noel Tata, Vijay Singh, Venu Srinivasan, Darius Khambata, Jehangir H. Jehangir, and Mehli Mistry.
The move to involve the millennials, Maya and Leah, is anticipated to be a strategic move to prepare the next generation for larger roles within the Tata group.
Maya and Leah’s professional background.
Maya, who began her career at the Tata Opportunities Fund, a prominent private equity fund within Tata Capital, is now part of the team managing the Neu App under Tata Digital. On the other hand, Leah Tata is Vice president of the Indian Hotels brand. She is on the board of the Tata Social Welfare Trust, the Tata Education Trust, the JRD, and the Thelma J Tata Trust. Leah has a master’s degree in marketing from IE Business School.
