Tata Sons Chairman Resignation: The Story of How N Chandrasekaran Rose to the Top

Mumbai: As N Chandrasekaran prepares to step down as Chairman of Tata Sons in 2027, his journey to the top of India's biggest business group is being remembered as one of the most notable rags-to-boardroom stories in Indian corporate history.

Chandrasekaran did not start out as an outsider brought in to lead Tata Sons. He built his entire career inside one company first, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), before moving to the top job at the group's holding company.

He joined TCS and spent close to 30 years there, climbing up step by step through different roles. Over time, he became the Chief Executive Officer of TCS. During his years running the company, TCS grew into the largest private-sector employer in India. It also became the most valuable company in the country, a distinction noted in his official biography on the Tata Group's website.

This long record at TCS built his reputation within the Tata Group as a steady and capable leader, someone who understood the scale and complexity of running a large Indian company.

His move to Tata Sons in 2017 did not happen in ordinary circumstances. It came right after a major boardroom dispute at the top of the Tata Group. Cyrus Mistry, who was Chairman of Tata Sons at the time, was removed from his position following this conflict. The episode was widely reported as one of the most dramatic corporate battles in India in recent years.

In the aftermath of Mistry's removal, the Tata Group needed a new chairman to steady the organisation. The board turned to Chandrasekaran, drawing on his long experience and track record at TCS, and appointed him Chairman of Tata Sons in 2017.

Since taking charge, Chandrasekaran has led Tata Sons for close to a decade, overseeing one of India's largest and most diverse business empires. Now, with his announcement that he will not seek reappointment when his term ends in February 2027, attention has turned to who the Tata Group will choose next and how that person will follow a leader whose own rise took nearly three decades to complete.

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