Maya Tata and Leah Tata daughters of Noel Tata have been appointed to the board of trustees of the Sir Ratan Tata Industrial Institute (SRTII). They replaced outgoing trustees Arnaz Kotwal and Freddy Talati marking a strategic move to involve local leadership in the institute’s revamp. Both Maya and Leah hold significant roles in Tata group companies positioning them for greater responsibilities within the conglomerate. Internal Disputes & Resignations The induction of Leah and Maya has not been without controversy. According to an Economic Times report Arnaz Kotwal one of the outgoing trustees expressed dissatisfaction over the manner of her resignation. In a letter to fellow trustees Kotwal voiced concerns about being blindsided by communication from Burjis Taraporewala an executive at Tata Trusts and Sidharth Sharma the CEO of Tata Trusts. Kotwal now based in Dubai as general counsel at VFS Global stated “I acceded to Burjiss request after considerable thought but was saddened that none of you reached out to speak with me directly about this matter.” Freddy Talati the other outgoing trustee resigned to focus on his role as COO at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). Previously he served as CEO of The Associated Building Co which owns Bombay House. Sir Ratan Tata Industrial Institute Board Noel Tata chairman of Tata Trusts since October 2024 has three children: Leah (39) Maya (36) and Neville (32). With this appointment Leah and Maya now serve on the boards of all smaller Tata Trusts although they are yet to join the two main trusts Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Allied Trusts and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Allied Trusts. The Sir Ratan Tata Industrial Institute founded in 1928 by Lady Navajbai Tata and the Stri Zarthostri Mandal focuses on empowering women through training in cooking tailoring embroidery and Montessori teaching. The institute is undergoing extensive renovations necessitating experienced and locally based trustees to guide its transformation. Leah and Maya Tata’s Profiles Leah Tata is currently a Vice President at Indian Hotels Leah holds a master’s degree in marketing from IE Business School. Whereas Maya Tata is associated with Tata Digital Maya began her career at Tata Capital and is part of the team managing the Tata Neu app. According to an ET report Leah and Maya were nominated by the board of trustees of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) which holds the right to nominate three of the six SRTII board members per its Trust Deed. The decision was unanimous made by SRTT trustees Noel Tata Vijay Singh Venu Srinivasan Darius Khambata Jehangir H. Jehangir and Mehli Mistry. It was influenced by the need for trustees with prior experience in managing SRTII and who could contribute locally in Mumbai to oversee its affairs.