Noel Tata has emerged as one of the most important figures in the latest power struggle at the Tata Group, with the chairman of Tata Trusts now at the centre of a bitter disagreement with Tata Sons over N Chandrasekaran's continuation as chairman and the proposed listing of the group's holding company.

But who exactly is Noel Tata, and how is he related to Ratan Tata?

Noel Naval Tata is the son of Naval Tata and Simone Tata. He is the half-brother of the late Ratan Tata, with the two sharing their father, Naval Tata.

Noel's mother was Simone Tata, while Ratan Tata was born to Naval Tata and his first wife, Soonoo Tata.

Unlike Ratan Tata, who became the internationally recognised face of the conglomerate, Noel Tata has largely operated away from the spotlight.

However, he has spent more than four decades within the Tata Group and has held leadership positions across several of its major businesses.

Noel Tata's corporate career includes a particularly significant stint at Trent, the Tata Group's retail company.

He served as its managing director for more than 11 years and oversaw its expansion from a single-store operation in 1998 to more than 800 stores across different formats, according to Tata Trusts.

He subsequently headed Tata International as managing director from 2010 to 2021.

Tata Trusts says the company's turnover increased from around $500 million to more than $3 billion during his tenure.

He currently chairs Trent, Tata International, Voltas and Tata Investment Corporation, besides serving as vice chairman of Tata Steel and Titan.

Noel's role became considerably more powerful after Ratan Tata's death in October 2024.

He was appointed chairman of Tata Trusts, the group of charitable trusts that collectively owns about 66% of Tata Sons, the principal holding company of the Tata Group.

That position has now placed him at the heart of the biggest governance confrontation to hit the group in years.

On September 17, Tata Sons' board reappointed N Chandrasekaran as executive chairman for another five-year term, despite opposition from Noel Tata.

Tata Trusts has challenged the validity of the decision, while Tata Sons has maintained that the board approved the reappointment by majority vote.

Noel Tata voted against the resolution, while fellow Tata Trusts nominee Venu Srinivasan voted in favour.

The disagreement goes beyond Chandrasekaran's tenure. Tata Sons has also moved towards complying with regulatory requirements that could lead to a listing of the holding company.

Noel Tata and Tata Trusts have opposed treating a public listing as the only route, arguing that changing Tata Sons' ownership structure could affect the traditional relationship between the group's commercial businesses and its philanthropic trusts.

The current clash is particularly significant because Tata Trusts' approximately 66% ownership gives the charitable trusts enormous influence over Tata Sons.

At the same time, Tata Sons' board has its own governance and decision-making structure, creating a complicated balance between the majority shareholder and the company's board.

The dispute has therefore brought Noel Tata, once a relatively low-profile figure compared with his famous half-brother Ratan Tata, firmly into the public spotlight.

For years, Noel Tata's career was defined by retail, international business and corporate leadership. Today, however, his role is much broader.

As chairman of Tata Trusts, he sits at one of the most influential points in the Tata Group's ownership structure.

And with the battle over Chandrasekaran's reappointment and the future of Tata Sons now playing out publicly, Noel Tata has become one of the key figures shaping the post-Ratan Tata era.