For only the second time in its rich, 150+ year history, India-headquartered, but internationally spread industrial conglomerate, Tata Sons is to have a chairman not from the revered Tata family blood line. Imperial College-trained Cyrus Mistry will take over from current chairman Ratan Tata at the end of next year. Mistry has been on the board of Tata Sons, the ‘promoter’ for all key Tata companies – including of course Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – since 2006. The chairman of Tata Sons has traditionally also chaired Tata Group.
Mistry is not without family connections, though. He is brother-in-law to Noel Tata, Ratan Tata's half-brother. According to media speculation (see here), Noel Tata was considered to have been the front-runner in the race for the chairmanship. Mistry was part of the selection team to appoint a new chairman.
With interests in industries across the globe, including many based in originally in the UK, such as steel (Corus – now Tata Steel), vehicles (Jaguar Land Rover), and tea (Tetley), Mistry’s cup truly runneth over.