The issue has become complex because Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran is also the chairman of Tata Consumer Products, and he was not kept informed of D’Souza’s appointment as chairman of Voltas, a Tata group company established in 1954. The fact that Tata Sons is the principal promoter and holding company for Tata Consumer Products, with close to 29 per cent stake in it, adds to the complexity.
D’Souza, an industry veteran with three decades of experience in the consumer space, joined the Voltas board as a non-executive director in May 2026.
A board meeting of Tata Consumer Products to take a view on D’Souza’s appointment as Voltas chairman cannot be ruled out, a source in the know said. The company’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC), which oversees leadership appointments and compensation policies, is also believed to be looking into the issue.
It is unusual for the CEO of a Tata company to be appointed chairman of another group entity, especially without prior consultation with the Tata Sons chairman, according to another source.
When contacted, Tata Sons did not comment on the matter.
As chairman of Tata Sons, Chandrasekaran heads the boards of several key group companies, including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Steel, Tata Power, Tata Motors, Air India, Tata Consumer Products and Indian Hotels Company.
Noel Tata stepped down as chairman of several boards, including Voltas, earlier this week on turning 70, the superannuation age for non-executive directors of the group. In several cases, he appointed successors to these positions without customary consultation with the chairman of Tata Sons.
Amid the ongoing turbulence in the salt-to-software conglomerate, Noel Tata’s recent top-level appointments on the board of group companies have come into sharp focus. In the runup to the next Tata Sons board meeting on November 26, industry watchers are tracking major developments related to group entities.
The two core issues at the centre of the dispute between Tata Sons and Tata Trusts are the reappointment of Chandrasekaran as Tata Sons chairman for a third term and a proposed listing of the holding company. The previous board meeting of Tata Sons had turned into a public spectacle of the widening rift between the two sides, with Noel Tata opposing the entire board on these issues.
Tata Trusts is the largest shareholder of Tata Sons, with a 66 per cent stake in the group’s holding company.
