Who is Noel Tata? Meet Ratan Tata's half-brother, who could be his successor at Tata Trusts

Noel Tata is the son of Naval H. Tata and Simone N. Tata and the half-brother of Ratan Tata.

Noel Tata, 67, is a strong contender for the position of chairman of Tata Trusts after the death of Ratan Tata. Noel Tata is the son of Naval H. Tata and Simone N. Tata and the half-brother of Ratan Tata.
The death of Ratan Tata has thrown the spotlight on succession planning at Tata Trusts. As India's largest public charitable trust and the majority owner of the $165 billion Tata Group, trust boards must appoint a new chairman from among the trustees as Tata has not named a successor.
The two main entities within the trusts are Sir Dorabji Tata Trust And Sir Ratan Tata Trustwhich together hold around 52% of Tata Sons, the parent company of the Tata Group. The group has a diverse portfolio that includes aviation and automobiles.
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The possible appointment of Noel Tata would appease the Parsi community and ensure that a member of the founding family heads the philanthropic organization, which distributed $56 million (Rs 470 crore) in FY23.

Who is Noel Naval Tata?

Ratan Tata with father and half-brother Noel

Traditionally, only Parsis have chaired Tata trusts, although some had non-Tata surnames and had no direct connection to the founding family.
If elected, Noel would be the 11th chairman of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the sixth chairman of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.
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Previously, Noel was considered a potential candidate to succeed Tata as chairman of Tata Sons. However, the role was given to Cyrus Mistry, Noel's brother-in-law.
After Mistry's controversial exit, N Chandrasekaran, a veteran executive of TCS, took over as chairman of Tata Sons. Although Noel and Ratan Tata were not often seen together and kept their distance, the half-brothers have recently bridged the gap between them considerably, according to a TOI report.