Noel Tata
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Tata Group veteran, N Chandrasekaran, after nearly 40 years with the group, had to face the twin challenges of stemming the decline in business prospects and mending the worsening relationship with Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata before deciding to hang his boots.Chandrasekaran had a meteoric rise in the Tata Group and was the chosen one of Ratan Tata to head Tata Sons. He joined Tata Consultancy Services as a trainee in 1987, rose to become its CEO before taking over as the chairman of Tata Sons in January 2017.New age betsThe Tata Group under the stewardship of Chandrasekaran committed substantial capital to many long-gestation, new age businesses including aviation, digital businesses, electronics, semiconductors and batteries which continue to remain capital guzzlers.Chandrasekaran’s decision to step down from the helm follows months of friction driven by policy differences with Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata regarding capital allocation, governance, and the potential listing of Tata Sons.The aviation business under Air India and Air India Express reported a combined loss of ₹ 22,238 crore in FY26, more than double the ₹ 10,859 crore loss in the previous year. Tata Digital reported a loss of ₹ 4,974 crore during FY26. In fact, Chandrasekaran himself told shareholders that the turnaround of the airline business would be a five-to 10-year journey.
