Tata Trusts reappoints Venu Srinivasan as ‘trustee for life’ amid internal conflict

Tata Group's philanthropy arm, Tata Trusts, has unanimously re-appointed Venu Srinivasan as a trustee for life amid reports of internal conflict among the divisions within the organisation, news agency PTI reported on Tuesday, 21 October 2025.

Venu Srinivasan's re-appointment comes right ahead of his tenure expiry date on 23 October 2025, at a time when the people within Tata Trusts are vertically split. One group aligns with Noel Tata, who took over the reins after Ratan Tata's demise, and the other with Mehli Mistry, who has ties with the extended Shapoorji Pallonji family.

People aware of the development told the agency that Srinivasan's re-appointment was unanimous. However, Tata Trust refused to respond to the news agency's queries.

Focus on Mehli Mistry's renewal

With Venu Srinivasan's re-appointment, the focus now shifts to the re-appointment of Mehli Mistry as a trustee, whose term expires on 28 October 2025.

Mistry's re-appointment and continuation as a trustee will require the unanimous approval of the trustees for the lifetime tenure appointment, according to the report.

“Renewal and fresh appointment is required to be unanimous as per past practice. Renewal, after which it will be for life, requires unanimous approval,” a person aware of the development told the news agency.

They also said that the re-appointment is automatic and applies to all trustees.

Tata Trusts oversees several charitable trusts, including the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. The entity also holds a 66% stake in Tata Sons, the main holding company, which owns stakes in all Tata Group firms.

According to the report, the original meeting held on 17 October 2024 resolved that if the tenure of a trustee expires, they are to be re-appointed by the trust concerned without any limit attached to the period of validity.

The report also said that if any trustee chooses to vote against this motion, they would be in breach of the commitment and would not be fit to serve at ‘Tata Trusts by such conduct’.

Shapoorji Pallonji's stake in Tata

The Shapoorji Pallonji family owns more than 18% stake in Tata Sons, the holding company for all Tata Group companies.

On Friday, 10 October 2025, the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, in an official statement, said that they believe that the listing of the holding company, Tata Sons, will boost the spirit of transparency for the firm.

“We firmly believe that listing this premier institution will not only uphold the spirit of transparency envisioned by its founding father, Shri Jamsetji Tata, but also strengthen trust among all stakeholders -- employees, investors, and the people of India,” said the SP Group in its statement cited in a PTI report.

This comes amid the infighting among the trustees of the Tata Trusts over the public listing of Tata Sons.