Who really owns the Tata Group?

The Tata Group is not exactly owned by any single member of the Tata family. The group’s principal holding company, Tata Sons, is largely owned by charitable trusts created by successive generations of the Tata family.Around 66% of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, according to Tata’s own ownership description. These trusts support causes including education, healthcare, livelihoods, and art and culture.Also Read: From coffee to cars: Inside the Tata empire as its chairman steps downThe two biggest shareholders are the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT). Together, they own 51.54% of Tata Sons, giving them an outright majority.Does Noel Tata own Tata Sons?Noel Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, does not personally own the Tata Sons shares held by the charitable trusts.The shares are owned by the respective trusts, with decisions taken through their boards of trustees. Tata Trusts is the umbrella body under which the principal Tata charitable trusts operate.Tata Sons, meanwhile, sits at the centre of the Tata Group as its principal investment holding company and promoter. Individual Tata companies operate independently under their own boards.Also Read: Tata Trusts to set up selection panel to pick N Chandrasekaran’s successor at Tata SonsWho are the biggest Tata Sons shareholders?The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust together hold 51.54% of Tata Sons. Other Tata charitable trusts hold additional shares, taking the combined philanthropic ownership to around 66%.Separately, the M K Tata Trust holds 2,421 shares of Tata Sons, according to a 2024 Income Tax Appellate Tribunal judgment. These shares were settled into the trust as corpus when it was established in 1959.The Tata Group’s ownership structure is therefore different from a conventional family-controlled business. The Tata family does not personally hold the controlling stake in Tata Sons; charitable trusts linked to the family do.(With inputs from TOI)