Tata Sons Set to Give Chandrasekaran a Third Term as Executive Chairman

One of India's most powerful corporate positions looks set to stay in familiar hands. N Chandrasekaran, the executive chairman of Tata Sons, is widely expected to be reappointed for a third term at the helm of the salt-to-software conglomerate. A board meeting scheduled for February 24 is likely to take up the matter formally, setting in motion a process that would keep him in charge well beyond his current tenure, which ends in February 2027. What the Board Meeting Could Decide The February 24 gathering is not just a routine board meeting. If reports are to be believed, the reappointment will be the central item on the agenda. Should the board give its approval, the next step would be calling an Extraordinary General Meeting - commonly known as an EGM - where shareholders would formally ratify the decision. The entire process is expected to move fairly quickly once the board signs off. An EGM would likely follow within days, making the whole thing official before any uncertainty can linger too long in the market or among group stakeholders. A Journey That Started in 2017 Chandrasekaran first took the wheel at Tata Sons back in 2017, stepping into one of the most high-profile corporate roles in the country at a particularly turbulent time. The group had just been through a very public and messy leadership dispute involving the removal of Cyrus Mistry, and there was enormous pressure on the incoming chairman to stabilise things quickly. He managed to do that - and then some. Over the years, Chandrasekaran steered the group through a period of significant expansion, bringing in new businesses, restructuring older ones, and placing bold bets on sectors that are shaping the future economy. His current second term is due to conclude in February 2027, but the move to discuss a third term well in advance suggests that the Tata leadership wants to lock in continuity sooner rather than later. Tata Trusts Have Already Given Their Blessing Perhaps the most important signal came from Tata Trusts, the charitable entities that collectively hold the majority stake in Tata Sons and wield enormous influence over the group's direction. Last year, the Trusts passed a resolution recommending another term for Chandrasekaran - a strong endorsement that effectively cleared the path for the board to act. In the Tata Group's structure, the Trusts are not just passive shareholders. Their backing carries significant moral and institutional weight, and any reappointment without their support would be practically unthinkable. With that hurdle already cleared, the board's decision on February 24 is expected to be more of a formality than a genuine deliberation. The Age Waiver Question There is, however, one complication worth noting. The Tata Group has a long-standing practice where executives in active roles are expected to step down at 65, though they can continue in non-executive roles until 70. Chandrasekaran will cross that threshold during a potential third term, which means the board will need to grant a specific exemption to the age rule. This is not entirely without precedent. The last time such an exemption was made was for Ratan Tata himself, who returned to executive duties after Cyrus Mistry's departure. Granting a similar waiver for Chandrasekaran would place him in rare company within the group's history - and signals just how much confidence the Tata leadership has placed in him.