Late businessman Ratan Tata, who led Tata Sons for a long time, felt that his stepbrother Noel Tata needed more experience to become his successor. This was said in the recently released book, ‘Ratan Tata A Life’. Noel Tata was recently appointed as the chairman of Tata Trust after the death of Ratan Tata. This trust indirectly controls the US $ 165 billion Tata Group.
In March 2011, when several candidates were interviewed to find a successor to Ratan Tata, Noel Tata was among them. Ratan Tata had decided to stay away from the selection committee formed to find a successor. According to Ratan Tata’s biography – ‘Ratan Tata A Life’, he later regretted this decision. This book has been written by Thomas Matthew and published by Harper Collins Publishers.
Stayed away from the selection committee because of his brother
The book said that Ratan Tata stayed away from the selection committee because there were several candidates from within the Tata Group and he wanted to assure them that a collective body would recommend one of them based on a unanimous decision.
The second reason for staying away from the selection committee was personal, as it was widely believed that his half-brother Noel Tata was the natural candidate to succeed him. Amidst pressure from the Parsis in the company and traditionalists in the community, Noel Tata was considered ‘one of their own’. For Ratan Tata, however, only the talent and values of the individual mattered, according to the book.
Even a son cannot become his own successor
According to the author, Ratan Tata did not want to be seen as his opponent in case Noel was not selected. According to the book, Ratan Tata said, “To successfully compete for the top post, Noel should have had more experience than he has had so far.” Ratan Tata had said that even if he had a son, he would have done something so that he would not automatically become his successor.