Cyrus Mistry is 43 years old, younger than what Ratan Tata was when he took over at the helm of the Tata group in 1991. His appointment will be part of a larger generational shift in the Tata group, after leadership changes in many of the operating companies.
Mistry’s record is not very well known. So he will have time on his side, but also the burden of high expectations. After all, he steps into the shoes of a man who has transformed the Tata group.
Ratan Tata globalized the group and also centralized it, the latter only after bruising battles with the men who ran large Tata companies, all close associates of J.R.D. Tata.
One big question is how Mistry will run the group: A loose federation in the J.R.D. style or more centralized in the Ratan style? Will Mistry focus on capital allocation and group strategy, and stay hands-off at the level of individual companies? Investors will watch what choice is made.
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