In a significant development linked to the evolving dynamics within the Tata philanthropic ecosystem, Mehli Mistry, former trustee of the Tata Trusts and a close confidante of the late Ratan Tata, has stepped down from the board of the Small Animal Hospital Trust. This project was a cherished initiative of Ratan Tata, aimed at creating a premier healthcare facility for pets.
Resignations and the Funding Conundrum
Mistry tendered his resignation on Monday morning, stating clearly that his recent removal as a trustee of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) and Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) left him unable to facilitate funding for the hospital. In his resignation letter addressed to seven fellow trustees, Mistry wrote that he would not be in a position to seek funds from entities he is no longer associated with, prompting his immediate exit.
Within hours, a second trustee, Dr. Anirudh Kohli, who is also the CEO of Breach Candy Hospital Trust, followed suit. Kohli cited Mistry's departure as the reason for his own resignation in an email to the board.
Backdrop of Trust Reorganization
This move comes less than 14 months after the passing of Ratan Tata in October 2024, a period marked by internal differences among the trustees of the Tata Trusts. The Trusts hold a controlling 65.9% stake in Tata Sons, the group's holding company.
Following Ratan Tata's death, his half-brother, Noel Tata, was appointed chairman of the Tata Trusts on 11 October last year. Noel Tata has since consolidated control by becoming a permanent trustee, inducting his son Neville Tata and former Titan CEO Bhaskar Bhat onto the SDTT board, and by removing Mehli Mistry as a trustee. Differences over governance and information sharing had previously spilled into board meetings and even led to public expressions of unhappiness from Ratan Tata's sisters.
The Legacy Project and Its Future
The Mumbai-based Small Animal Hospital Trust, which became operational in July last year, was initiated after Ratan Tata urged the Trusts to build a dedicated facility for dogs, cats, and birds. The Tata Trusts, via the Advanced Veterinary Care Foundation, invested ₹165 crore to establish a five-storey specialty pet hospital in central Mumbai, now touted as the country's largest.
In his resignation, Mistry, noting he was the senior-most trustee who never accepted the chairmanship out of respect for Ratan Tata, proposed that the CEO, Siddharth Sharma, or another board-nominated person take up the role for a fixed three-year term to secure future funding from the larger Tata Trusts.
The board of the Small Animal Hospital Trust now comprises six remaining trustees, including British veterinarian Thomas Heathcote, Major General Pramod Batra, former Hinduja Global Solutions CFO Lakshminarayanan CS, former GSK Pharma CFO Mehernosh Kapadia, Tata Trusts advisor Shastri RR, and Shantanu Naidu, former executive assistant to Ratan Tata. Mistry continues to serve as a trustee of the Tata Education and Development Trust, one of the fourteen entities under the Tata Trusts umbrella.
