Noel Tata named his close friend and AZB & Partners co‑founder Bahram Vakil as chairman of Trent, effective Nov 12, 2026, after Vakil had joined the retailer’s board as a non‑executive director in April.
Vakil, who also serves as vice‑chairman of Tata Investment, will take the helm once Noel retires from the board on Nov 11, turning the chairmanship from family hands to a seasoned legal mind.
The move was made without informing Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, who was in Singapore at the time, sparking unease among insiders. The change was disclosed to stock exchanges on Thursday, a day before the board transition.
Trent’s recent Rs 2,500‑crore rights issue, in which Tata Sons holds a 32% stake, came at a time when the group’s internal oversight had largely been hands‑off, a pattern that began with Ratan Tata and continued under Cyrus Mistry.
The board reshuffle also added former Tata Motors executive Rajiv Dube as a non‑executive director and independent lawyer Kalpana Merchant, following Harish Bhat’s resignation on Oct 17. Amid the changes, Noel and wife Aloo Tata are slated to attend Vakil’s daughter’s wedding at Taj Aravali Resort & Spa in Udaipur on Friday.
Tata Sons will convene a special board meeting next week to scrutinise its communication protocols in light of the Trent transition.