Tata Group
Leadership History
4 leaders · 1938 to present
Natarajan Chandrasekaran is the CEO of Tata Group, in the role since 2017. The first chief executive was J. R. D. Tata, from 1938.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natarajan Chandrasekaran | Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tata Sons | 2017 | Present | 9 |
| Cyrus Mistry | Chairman of Tata Sons | 2012 | 2016 | 4 |
| Ratan Tata | Chairman of Tata Sons | 1991 | 2012 | 21 |
| J. R. D. Tata | Chairman of Tata Sons | 1938 | 1991 | 53 |
Tata Group is an Indian conglomerate headquartered at Bombay House, Mumbai, founded in 1868 by Jamsetji Tata. Its companies reported aggregate FY26 revenue of ₹16.24 lakh crore (about $185 billion) and profit of ~$19.8 billion (₹1.71 lakh crore). The 26 listed companies, led by TCS, Titan, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Trent and Tata Power, were worth about ₹24.4 lakh crore (~$275 billion) in late September 2026. Tata Sons, about 66% owned by Tata Trusts, is chaired by N. Chandrasekaran. The company is headquartered in Mumbai, India.
Tata Group makes money through its operating companies, while holding company Tata Sons earns mainly dividends, brand-licence fees and investment gains from them. In FY26 Tata Sons reported standalone revenue of ~$4.91 billion (₹42,367 crore) and net profit of ~$3.71 billion (₹31,961 crore), with TCS as its largest dividend source. The operating businesses fall into a few clusters: IT services and engineering (TCS, Tata Elxsi, Tata Technologies), billing enterprise clients for consulting, cloud and AI work; vehicles (Tata Motors' commercial and passenger businesses and Jaguar Land Rover), selling trucks, buses, cars, EVs and luxury SUVs; materials (Tata Steel, Tata Chemicals) in India, the UK and the Netherlands; consumer and retail (Titan, Trent, Tata Consumer Products, Croma, BigBasket), selling jewellery, watches, fashion, tea, salt and packaged food; infrastructure and power (Tata Power, Tata Projects, Tata Communications); hospitality (IHCL/Taj); financial services (Tata Capital); aviation (Air India and Air India Express); and newer bets in electronics manufacturing, semiconductors (Tata Electronics) and EV batteries (Agratas). The newer businesses, including Air India and Tata Digital, were still loss-making in FY26 and are funded largely by cash from the mature companies.
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tata Sons
2017 – Present
9 years (current)
Former TCS CEO who led the Air India acquisition, the push into semiconductors and batteries, and a 3.3-fold rise in group market value; his reappointment for a third term from 2027 is contested by Tata Trusts.
Chairman of Tata Sons
2012 – 2016
4 years
Removed as chairman in October 2016, leading to a long legal dispute.
Chairman of Tata Sons
1991 – 2012
21 years
Led the group through global acquisitions including Tetley, Corus and Jaguar Land Rover.
Chairman of Tata Sons
1938 – 1991
53 years
J. R. D. Tata became chairman of Tata Sons in 1938 and expanded the group into chemicals, vehicles, software and consumer goods.
The group grew from 14 companies to 95 under him. Ratan Tata succeeded him in 1991.
Tata Group's biggest near-term challenge is governance: on 17 September 2026 the Tata Sons board voted 4-1 to give N. Chandrasekaran a third five-year term from February 2027 and to start steps toward listing Tata Sons, while Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata voted against and the Trusts called the resolution a legal nullity. Between 12 August and 30 September 2026, the 26 listed Tata stocks lost about $30.9 billion (₹2.66 lakh crore) (10%) of combined market value. Operating challenges include Air India, whose FY26 loss roughly doubled to ~$2.58 billion (₹22,238 crore) after the June 2025 Flight AI171 crash and route disruptions; decarbonising Tata Steel UK at Port Talbot; and multi-billion-dollar capital expenditure cycles for greenfield semiconductor fabrication plants in Dholera and OSAT facilities in Assam; managing high brand competition in retail from Reliance and domestic D2C startups; and hedging against global currency and raw material commodity price volatility.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran is the Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons, serving since January 2017. Prior to this role, Chandrasekaran spent over 30 years at TCS, rising from an intern software engineer to become its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director from 2009 to 2017.
Ratan Naval Tata (1937–2024) was the legendary Chairman of the Tata Group for over two decades. He globalized the company through iconic multi-billion-dollar acquisitions (Jaguar Land Rover, Tetley, Corus), launched the Tata Indica and Tata Nano, modernized corporate governance, and was revered globally for his humility, ethics, and philanthropy.
Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy (J.R.D.) Tata was one of the greatest industrialists in Asian history. Serving as Chairman for over 50 years, J.R.D. founded Tata Airlines (Air India), Tata Motors, TCS, Titan, and Tata Chemicals, and was awarded the Bharat Ratna—India's highest civilian honor—in 1992.
Founder Jamsetji Tata led the group from 1868 until his death in 1904. He was succeeded by his elder son Sir Dorabji Tata (1904–1932), who established Tata Steel and Tata Power, followed briefly by Sir Nowroji Saklatvala (1932–1938), before J.R.D. Tata assumed leadership.
Born in Mohanur, Tamil Nadu, Chandrasekaran earned a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) from Regional Engineering College (now NIT) Tiruchirappalli. Joining TCS in 1987 as a programmer, his operational brilliance and customer-focus propelled him to CEO of TCS and eventually Chairman of Tata Sons.
Chandrasekaran simplified the group's complex web of cross-holdings, reduced industrial debt, guided Tata Motors to electric vehicle market dominance, re-acquired and consolidated Air India, expanded Trent and Titan, and launched Tata into semiconductor manufacturing and battery gigafactories.
In 2022, Chandrasekaran was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India. In 2023, he was conferred the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour)—France's highest civilian decoration—for his contributions to global commerce.
Ratan Tata was a close mentor and staunch champion of Chandrasekaran, praising his calm demeanor, sharp mathematical intellect, and unwavering adherence to Tata values. Ratan Tata endorsed Chandrasekaran's historic appointment to lead Tata Sons in 2017.
Ratan Tata passed away in Mumbai on October 9, 2024, at age 86. He was accorded a full state funeral with guard of honor by the Government of Maharashtra, with millions of citizens, corporate leaders, and global heads of state paying tribute to his transformative, selfless life.
Following Ratan Tata's passing in October 2024, his half-brother Noel Naval Tata (Chairman of Trent and Vice Chairman of Tata Steel) was unanimously appointed Chairman of the Tata Trusts, ensuring family continuity at the philanthropic foundation that holds controlling equity in Tata Sons.
Chandrasekaran instituted a high-performance culture across group companies, tying executive bonuses to return on invested capital (ROIC), customer NPS, digital transformation speed, and measurable carbon-reduction milestones.
Chandrasekaran envisions Tata as an agile, AI-native global technology and manufacturing powerhouse—leading in clean renewable energy, advanced AI computing, global commercial aviation, and indigenous semiconductor fabrication.
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