Tata Steel Managing Director and CEO TV Narendran will take over as chairman of Tata International from November 12, succeeding Noel Tata, who is stepping down from the boards of several Tata Group companies upon turning 70.
The appointment is part of a wider leadership transition across six Tata Group companies, following the group’s retirement policy for non-executive directors. Noel Tata will relinquish his positions as chairman of Tata International, Trent, Voltas and Tata Investment Corporation, besides stepping down as vice-chairman of Tata Steel and Titan Company.
However, he will continue as chairman of Tata Trusts and as a nominee director on the board of Tata Sons.
Who Is TV Narendran?
TV Narendran is among the senior leaders within the Tata Group, with more than three decades of association with the conglomerate. He joined Tata Steel in 1988 and has held several leadership positions across the company.
He has over 38 years of experience in the mining and metals industry and has overseen Tata Steel’s organic and inorganic growth over the past decade. He currently serves as Managing Director and CEO of Tata Steel and is also chairman of Tata Steel Europe.
Narendran is a mechanical engineering graduate from NIT Tiruchirappalli and holds an MBA from IIM Calcutta. He has also served as president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 2021 to 2022.
Other Leadership Changes Across Tata Group
The leadership transition extends beyond Tata International.
At Trent, Bahram Vakil, co-founder of AZB & Partners, will succeed Noel Tata as chairman. Vakil will also take over as chairman of Tata Investment Corporation.
At Voltas, Sunil D’Souza, Managing Director of Tata Consumer Products, will assume the chairmanship. The appointments take effect from November 12.
Noel Tata’s retirement from these positions follows the group’s non-executive director retirement age of 70. He will retain his leadership role at Tata Trusts, which collectively holds around 66% of Tata Sons.
Tata International’s Business and Leadership Transition
Noel Tata served as Managing Director of Tata International from August 2010 to November 2021. During his tenure, he oversaw the company’s expansion from a business with a turnover of around $500 million to more than $3 billion.
Tata International operates across trading, distribution, manufacturing and supply chain businesses in global markets.
The company is also restructuring its global trading business through a joint venture with Swiss commodities trader Mercuria Energy Group. Under the proposed arrangement, Mercuria will hold a 51% stake, while Tata International’s Singapore subsidiary will retain 49%. The transaction was yet to be completed as per the company’s FY26 annual report.
Tata International reported consolidated revenue of ₹37,395.42 crore in FY26 and a net profit of ₹73 crore, compared with a loss of ₹477 crore in FY25.
The appointment of Narendran marks a leadership transition at the global trading and manufacturing business as the wider Tata Group undergoes changes across several key boards.
