Noel’s Crosshairs: Chandra, Mehli Mistry Meet at Bombay House
Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran hosted Mehli Mistry at Bombay House in Mumbai last week. The talks aimed to rebuild trust after a year of friction inside the Tata Trusts, and Mehli's challenge to his removal is still pending.
Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran met Mehli Mistry, the late Ratan Tata's confidant, at Bombay House in Mumbai last week, in a meeting that put two men who have both clashed with Noel Tata back in the same room, according to people familiar with the matter.
Chandrasekaran had just returned from Italy, where Tata Motors announced the acquisition of commercial vehicle maker Iveco. He invited Mehli, a trustee of the Tata Education and Development Trust, to the group's headquarters on Thursday.
A thaw after a hard year
The two had been seen together days earlier at the wedding celebrations of Mehli's daughter Laila. The sequence reinforced a belief within Tata circles that relations are improving after more than a year of upheaval following Ratan Tata's death.
People familiar with the matter said the pair discussed the issues that had strained their ties. The talk focused on rebuilding trust and restoring a working equation. Mehli later left for Dubai, and both sides appear keen to move past a difficult period.
Mehli's challenge against his removal from the trusts is pending before the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner.
From allies to opposite sides
For much of the past decade, Mehli and Chandrasekaran were regarded as allies. After Cyrus Mistry was ousted as Tata Sons chairman in 2016, Mehli played a key role in the legal fight that followed between Cyrus and Ratan Tata.
When Ratan Tata had to choose a successor, he picked Chandrasekaran, assisted by Mehli. Mehli later backed Chandrasekaran's second and third terms as chairman. The third term became contentious after Noel Tata, who succeeded Ratan Tata as chairman of Tata Trusts, opposed the reappointment.
Ratan Tata died in October 2024, and the balance of influence within Tata Trusts shifted. Disagreements that had been settled privately began to surface inside the trusts.
The trust dispute
Mehli and fellow trustees Darius Khambata, Pramit Jhaveri and Jehangir Jehangir argued that information on Tata Sons covered under Article 121 of the company's Articles of Association had not been shared with them. They said this limited their ability to take informed decisions. The four voted Vijay Singh off the Tata Sons board.
Concerned about the situation, Noel, Tata Trusts vice-chairman Venu Srinivasan, Khambata and Chandrasekaran visited Delhi. They briefed senior government officials on governance issues within the trusts.
Mehli had been inducted into Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust by Ratan Tata. He was eventually voted out of both by Noel, Srinivasan and Singh, who is also a vice-chairman of the trusts.
Differences between Mehli and Chandrasekaran emerged over how developments within the trusts were characterized and communicated to outside stakeholders. Mehli has maintained that his interventions were driven by governance concerns.
Two different temperaments
People who know Mehli describe him as intensely loyal, fiercely independent and "refreshingly blunt." Critics say his temperament can run ahead of diplomacy, though those who have worked closely with him say his anger rarely lingers.
Chandrasekaran is publicly measured and understated, and has cultivated an image as a consensus-builder since arriving at Bombay House. Colleagues say he is also a highly competitive executive with sharp political instincts.
