Ratan Tata returns as interim chief

The conglomerate said industrialist Ratan Tata, 78, had been appointed interim chairman

India’s Tata Sons dumped Cyrus Mistry as its chairman in a surprise announcement yesterday, almost four years after his appointment as the first chief of the conglomerate from outside the Tata family.

The decision comes as the steel arm of the sprawling $100 billion (Dh357.3 billion) conglomerate struggles to offload its loss-making British assets while its carmaking business continues to be plagued by weak sales.

“Tata Sons today [Monday] announced that its Board has replaced Mr. Cyrus P. Mistry as Chairman of Tata Sons. The decision was taken at a board meeting held here today,” the company said in a statement.

Interim chairman

The conglomerate said Ratan Tata had been appointed interim chairman until a successor was appointed — a sensational comeback for the 78-year-old media-shy industrialist, who made way for Mistry in December 2012.

The search for a successor to Mistry, 48, was likely to take four months, the statement said.

Tata Sons is the holding company of the massive tea-to-steel Tata Group, arguably India’s most famous family conglomerate, which spans at least 100 companies in as many countries.

Its businesses include one of India’s largest IT firms, Tata Consultancy Services, the biggest vehicle maker Tata Motors, and a ritzy hotel chain which includes Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

Mistry succeeded Ratan Tata in December 2012 after being announced as its heir more than a year earlier. He is related to the famous Indian family through his sister’s marriage.

Ratan Tata, who took over as chairman of Tata Sons in 1991 and led the company for 21 years, is credited with building it into a global behemoth.

PTI Ratan Tata (left) with Cyrus Mistry. Tata Sons yesterday removed Mistry as its chairman, nearly four years after he took over the reins of the group.