Beyond Noel Tata and N Chandrasekaran: Meet the five key players in Tata's boardroom battle

Five key figures are shaping the Tata boardroom battle beyond Noel Tata and N Chandrasekaran: Venu Srinivasan, Shapoor Mistry, Jimmy Tata, Saurabh Agrawal and Amogh Kaloti.

Trust Vote

Venu Srinivasan sits at the centre of an unusual split inside the Tata Trusts-Tata Sons dispute. He and Noel Tata are the two Trusts representatives on the Tata Sons board, but Srinivasan backed Chandrasekaran's five-year continuation while Noel opposed it.

Minority Stake

Shapoor Mistry's influence comes from more than his family history with Tata Sons. The Shapoorji Pallonji Group holds an 18.4% stake, making it Tata Sons' largest minority shareholder, while Mistry has also pushed for the holding company to go public.

Silent Brother Jimmy Tata has largely stayed away from the corporate battles surrounding the Tata Group, but his position could still matter. Noel Tata's half-brother is a trustee of Sir Ratan Tata Trust and two other allied trusts, giving his support potential significance in the wider family and trust structure.

Chandra Ally Saurabh Agrawal, Tata Sons' CFO and a director on its board, is described as one of Chandrasekaran's closest lieutenants inside the holding company. His role places him close to the financial, regulatory and strategic issues now surrounding Tata Sons.

Legal Gatekeeper Maharashtra Charity Commissioner Amogh Kaloti could become increasingly important as the Tata dispute moves beyond the boardroom. His office oversees charitable trusts including Tata Trusts and has already acted in matters involving the trusts, while probes under his office remain significant.