Tata Group’s philanthropy arm, Tata Trusts, has unanimously re-appointed Venu Srinivasan as a trustee for life amid reports of internal conflict amongst the divisions within the organisation, reported the news agency PTI on Tuesday, 21 October 2025.
Venu Srinivasan’s re-appointment comes right ahead of his tenure expiry date on 23 October 2025, at a time when the people within Tata Trusts are vertically split. One group aligns with Noel Tata, who took over the reins after Ratan Tata’s demise, and the other with Mehli Mistry, who has ties with the extended Shapoorji Pallonji family.
People aware of the development told the agency that Srinivasan’s re-appointment was unanimous. However, Tata Trust refused to respond to the news agency’s queries.
Focus on Mehli Mistry’s renewal
With Venu Srinivasan’s re-appointment, the focus now shifts to the re-appointment of Mehli Mistry as a trustee, whose term expires on 28 October 2025.
Mistry’s re-appointment and continuation as a trustee will require the unanimous approval of the trustees for the lifetime tenure appointment, according to the agency report.
“Renewal and fresh appointment is required to be unanimous as per past practice. Renewal, after which it will be for life, requires unanimous approval,” a person aware of the development told the news agency.
Tata Trusts is the entity which oversees several charitable trusts, including the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. The entity also holds a 66% stake in Tata Sons, the main holding company, which owns stakes in all Tata Group firms.
(This is a developing story. Please check back for updates)