Mehli K Mistry, a long-time associate of late industrialist Ratan Tata, will step down as a trustee of the Tata Medical Centre Trust after deciding not to seek another term. His current tenure ends on September 30, 2026.
Mistry communicated his decision in an email dated September 15 to Arun Pattatheyil, CEO of Tata Medical Centre. In the email, he said he did not wish to stand for re-election and requested that his decision not to renew his trusteeship be formally recorded. The communication was also marked to Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata and trustees Vijay Singh, Darius J Khambata, Leah Tata, Maya Tata and Neville Tata.
The move marks another change in Mistry’s association with the Tata group’s philanthropic and investment ecosystem. He has served on the Tata Medical Centre Trust board since 2017. His latest decision will take effect when his current term expires at the end of September.
Tata Medical Centre Trust oversees the Tata Medical Centre in Kolkata, a not-for-profit cancer-care institution. The hospital provides cancer treatment along with services covering screening, early detection, prevention, rehabilitation and palliative care. Recent reports have described the centre as a 436-bed tertiary cancer hospital, while other accounts have referred to its larger planned or operational capacity.
Mistry’s departure from the medical centre trust follows several changes in his roles across Tata-linked organisations over the past year.
In July 2026, he stepped down as a director of RNT Associates Private Limited, the investment vehicle established by Ratan Tata to manage his personal investments. Reports said the company has a portfolio worth more than ₹1,000 crore, with investments in companies including Ola Electric and Urban Company.
Before that, Mistry stepped down as a trustee of the Ratan Tata Endowment Trust and the Ratan Tata Endowment Foundation. The changes followed developments around the trusteeships of the principal Tata charitable trusts.
In October 2025, his reappointment to the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust was not approved, despite an earlier resolution proposing his appointment as a lifetime trustee. Mistry subsequently approached the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner with a pre-emptive caveat, seeking to be heard before changes were made to the trustees’ list.
His latest departure has therefore been reported as his sixth exit from an institution linked to Ratan Tata since the former Tata Sons chairman died in October 2024. Mistry, however, continues to be associated with the Tata Education and Development Trust.
Mistry’s exits come at a time when governance and succession within Tata’s philanthropic institutions have received greater attention.
The Tata Trusts control a significant stake in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group. Changes in the composition of the trusts can therefore have implications beyond philanthropy, particularly because of the trusts’ role in the group’s ownership structure.
Mistry had previously said that his approach to the Tata Trusts was guided by Ratan Tata’s values, including transparency, good governance and public interest. Those comments came after his departure from the principal Tata trusts and amid differences surrounding their governance.
The Tata Medical Centre Trust, however, has a more direct healthcare and philanthropic role. Established to oversee the cancer hospital in Kolkata, it is part of the Tata group’s long-standing commitment to healthcare and community-focused institutions.
Mistry’s exit means the trusteeship of the Tata Medical Centre Trust will move into its next phase after September 30. Reports indicate that the remaining trustees include Noel Tata, Leah Tata, Maya Tata, Neville Tata and former defence secretary Vijay Singh.
The immediate focus for the trust is expected to remain on the hospital’s healthcare operations and its not-for-profit mandate. Tata Medical Centre serves patients from Kolkata and other parts of eastern and northeastern India and provides cancer care alongside prevention, diagnosis and supportive services.
For the wider Tata ecosystem, Mistry’s departure is another marker of the institutional changes that have followed Ratan Tata’s death. His association with several Tata-linked organisations has gradually reduced, while his continuing role with the Tata Education and Development Trust represents one of his remaining links with the philanthropic network.
The transition also highlights the distinction between Tata’s operating companies and its charitable institutions. While Tata group companies operate as commercial businesses, the Tata Trusts and their associated institutions play a major role in areas such as healthcare, education and social development.
With Mistry’s term at the Tata Medical Centre Trust ending this month, attention will now turn to the trust’s next composition and how it continues its healthcare and philanthropic responsibilities.