Tata Trusts eyes Neville Tata, Bhaskar Bhat for board amid leadership expansion plans

Tata Trusts on Tuesday announced the appointment of Neville Tata, son of Chairman Noel Tata, and Bhaskar Bhatt, a senior Tata group veteran, to the board of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT). At the same meeting, the board also approved changing the tenure of Venu Srinivasan, converting lifelong guardianship to a three-year term. This decision comes in response to a new Maharashtra government regulation restricting the number of life trustees in charitable trusts.

The move signals a major shift in Tata Trusts’ governance structure, aligning with updated legal norms while emphasizing its focus on transparency, regulatory compliance and a more dynamic leadership model for the future. The funds did not provide comment on potential appointments.

Neville Tata already serves on the boards of JRD Tata Trust, Tata Social Welfare Trust and RD Tata Trust, officials said. There is a possibility that he will be included on the board of Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), a major trust that, along with SDTT, holds a controlling stake in Tata Sons.

Neville Tata, 32, holds a degree in Business Administration from Bayes Business School, and began his career at Trent in 2016, initially working in the packaged food and beverage division. He then took over the leadership of Zudio, a value fashion brand operating under the umbrella of the Tata Group.

In addition to Neville, Bhaskar Bhatt is under consideration for appointment to the board. An alumnus of IIT Madras and IIM Ahmedabad, Bhatt began his career in 1978 and later joined the Tata Watch project, which evolved into Titan. Bhatt’s 17-year tenure as Managing Director of Titan, from 2002 to 2019, saw the company expand into new categories such as eyewear, jewellery, fragrances, accessories and sarees. During this period, Titan’s market capitalization was approximately $13 billion, making it the second-largest listed company in the Tata group at the time.

These potential board changes follow a period of scrutiny and strategic review at the Tata Trusts, as external regulatory developments in Maharashtra pose new challenges for the appointment of trustees. The Trusts have not issued any statement on how these regulatory factors will impact the ongoing selection process for directors.

Officials have not confirmed whether or when Neville Tata or Bhaskar Bhatt will join Sir Ratan Tata’s fund or the main Tata Trust board. No further information was provided regarding other potential candidates or broader criteria for selection under current regulations.