With the passing of Ratan Tata, the $165 billion Tata Group is at a pivotal juncture as it seeks a new leader. Noel Tata, the half-brother of Ratan Tata, is seen as a strong contender to take over the top post of Chairman at Tata Trusts, which holds a 66% stake in the group’s holding company, Tata Sons. Ratan Tata: A life of achievements and unfulfilled love stories Noel Tata, currently the Chairman of Trent, Voltas, Tata Investment Corporation, and Tata International, also serves as the Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Titan. His presence on the board of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust further solidifies his position as a potential successor. This role, by virtue of its influence over Tata Sons, will allow the new Chairman to steer the group through ongoing global and domestic challenges. Despite the familial ties, the Tata Group is considering multiple candidates. Mehli Mistry, a director of the Meherji Pallonji Group and a cousin of the late Cyrus Mistry, is also in contention. As Tata Sons Chairman, N Chandrasekaran, who has successfully led the group post-Cyrus Mistry's exit, is not on the board of Tata Trusts, the decision remains uncertain. Indian industrial Icon Ratan Tata passes away The Tata Group, which generated over $165 billion in revenue in 2023-24, is facing challenges due to the global economic downturn and pressures on key businesses like TCS, Tata Steel, and Tata Motors. Whoever takes the reins will need to navigate these issues with a clear vision for the future. With Noel Tata’s extensive experience and presence in multiple group companies, he stands out as a strong candidate to maintain the legacy and drive the group’s future growth.      

The Indian government has sold the country's ailing national carrier Air India to salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group for 2.4 billion US dollars. Air India was originally founded by the Tata Group as Tata Airlines in 1932. But it was nationalised by the Indian government in 1953, some six years after the country gained independence from Britain. Moments after the Indian government announced the name of the Tata Group as the successful bidder for the airline, its Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata tweeted a photograph of the company's founder JRD Tata posing with an Air India aircraft. "Welcome back, Air India,” the 83-year-old industrialist wrote. In a statement that he shared with the tweet, Ratan said: "Air India, under the leadership of Mr JRD Tata, had at one time, gained the reputation of being one of the most prestigious airlines in the world. Tatas will have the opportunity of regaining the image and reputation enjoyed in earlier years." Read: India's Tata Group founder world's 'biggest giver in 100 years' "Mr JRD Tata would have been overjoyed if he was in our midst today. We also need to recognize and thank the government for its recent policy of opening select industries to the private sector," he added. The Indian government had long tried to offload a controlling stake in the airline. But after its initial bid failed to attract buyers, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government had announced that it would sell its entire stake in the national carrier, reeling under a debt of US dollar 3.2 billion. "The Tatas has emerged as the highest bidder. Tatas won the bid at Indian rupees 18,000 crore," Tuhin Kant Pandey, a top government official, told the local media. Air India has many assets, including prized slots at London's Heathrow airport and a fleet of over 130 aircraft. On the other hand, the Tata Group currently operates Vistara, the country's only other full-service private carrier, in collaboration with Singapore Airlines.

India's very own Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the iconic salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group, has topped the list of the world's most generous individuals of the last century. With donations worth $102.4 billion in his lifetime, Tata pipped Microsoft founder Bill Gates and American business magnate Warren Buffet to emerge as the globe's biggest givers of the last century in the list of the world's top-50 philanthropists prepared by leading research platform Hurun Report and grant-making organisation EdelGive Foundation. Read The World's 10 Self-made Youngest Billionaires in 2021 Gates and his now-estranged wife Melinda have donated $74.6 billion, Buffet $37.4 billion, legendary hedge fund manager George Soros $34.8 billion and American financier John D Rockefeller $26.8 billion in the last century, as per the list. “Whilst American and European philanthropists may have dominated the thinking of philanthropy over the last century, Jamsetji Tata, founder of India's Tata Group, is the world's biggest philanthropist," Rupert Hoogewerf, the chairman and chief researcher at Hurun, said in a statement. Widely regarded as the 'Father of the Indian Industry', Tata's ambitious endeavours and vision not only shaped the exceptional business conglomerate but also helped India earn her place in the league of industrialised nations. He had made his fortune trading cotton, tea, copper, brass and even opium. Read BGMEA donates Tk5 crore to PM's fund for Covid-hit poor families "Setting aside two-thirds of ownership to trusts engaged in doing good in various areas, including education and healthcare, has helped Tatas achieve the top spot in giving," said  Hoogewerf, adding that Tata's giving started in 1892 itself. Tata, who was born in 1839 into a Parsi family in a city in the western state of Gujarat (then part of British India), started his early career as a merchant, but he went on to change the business landscape of the country through his many ventures -- Tata Steel company being the notable among them. A globe-trekker, Tata was always fascinated by new inventions. Read Bangladesh to get $ 940 mln ADB loans for procuring Covid vaccine