Mehli Mistry, a close confidant of the late Ratan Tata, is set to be considered for reappointment as a trustee of Tata Trusts, potentially securing a lifetime tenure. The proposal, circulated by the CEO of Tata Trusts on October 23, recommends Mistry’s continuation on three key philanthropic bodies: the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, and the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution. Tata Trusts declined to comment on the development.
Mistry first joined Tata Trusts in 2022, and his current three-year term is set to end on October 28. Earlier this week, the Trusts unanimously reappointed Venu Srinivasan as a lifetime trustee, with attention now turning to Mistry’s renewal. According to sources, Mistry and three other trustees — Pramit Jhaveri, Jehangir HC Jehangir, and Darius Khambata — had previously conditioned their approvals on the requirement that all future trustee renewals receive unanimous consent.
An Indian industrialist, Mistry has long been closely associated with Ratan Tata and serves as a key trustee of Tata Trusts, which controls the majority stake in Tata Sons. He is also the first cousin of the late Cyrus Mistry, the former chairman of Tata Sons, though the two were estranged for many years. Mistry leads the M Pallonji Group, a diversified conglomerate with interests spanning industrial coatings, shipping, logistics, finance, pharmaceuticals, and automobile dealerships, tracing its origins to the broader Mistry family that branched out from the Shapoorji Pallonji Group.
Within Tata Trusts, Mistry has become an influential figure, pushing for governance reforms and greater transparency in Tata Sons. He played a central role in internal discussions over reappointments to the Tata Sons board in 2025, an unusual public disagreement among trustees. His decades-long friendship with Ratan Tata included living in the same Colaba building and being appointed director of Tata’s personal investment firm, RNT Associates, in 2023. In 2024, Ratan Tata named him one of the four executors of his will, leaving Mistry personal effects including his Alibaug home and heirloom firearms.
Mistry is seen as a powerful yet discreet figure guiding the post-Ratan Tata era, with his alignment with reformist trustees shaping governance decisions over the Rs 30 lakh crore Tata empire. His reappointment comes amid differing interpretations over whether lifetime continuation requires unanimous trustee approval. Reports suggest a split within Tata Trusts, with one faction aligning with Noel Tata, who became chairman after Ratan Tata’s passing, and another loyal to the former doyen.
The matter has reportedly reached government officials, with top Tata group leaders, including Noel Tata and Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran, meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The government is said to have advised both sides to resolve their differences privately, mindful of the Tata Group’s critical role in India’s economy. Tata Trusts, which oversees several charitable trusts and holds a 66 percent stake in Tata Sons, continues to exert major influence over the 156-year-old Tata Group, which comprises roughly 400 companies, including 30 listed entities.
