Power Shift at Tata’s Pet Hospital Project as Key Trustees Step Down

Mumbai/Bengaluru — A quiet but significant reshuffle is unfolding around one of Ratan Tata’s most heartfelt legacies. Mehli Mistry — long-time confidant of the late industrialist and a former Tata Trusts trustee — has stepped down from the board of the Small Animal Hospital Trust, the flagship project created at Ratan Tata’s urging to bring world-class care to pets and rescued animals.

Mistry’s resignation comes with a firm stance: since he is no longer part of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) or the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), he doesn’t want to seek financial support from the very institutions that recently removed him. In a note addressed to fellow board members, he explained that he cannot continue soliciting funds from trusts he is no longer connected with, prompting his immediate exit.

His departure triggered another. Just hours later, Dr. Anirudh Kohli — CEO of Breach Candy Hospital Trust and also a board member of the Small Animal Hospital Trust — chose to resign as well, citing Mistry’s decision.

These developments arrive barely fourteen months after Ratan Tata’s passing in October 2024, a period marked by growing disagreements within the Tata Trusts, which hold nearly 66% of Tata Sons. Last year, Noel Tata, Ratan Tata’s half-brother, took charge as chairman of the Tata Trusts and began consolidating leadership. This included bringing his son Neville Tata and former Titan CEO Bhaskar Bhat into key trustee positions — and removing Mehli Mistry from the Trusts’ apex bodies.

Internal tensions surfaced in a September board meeting of Tata Sons, where trustees questioned how information was being circulated. In a rare public moment, Ratan Tata’s sisters, Shireen and Deanna Jejeebhoy, also voiced their dissatisfaction, reflecting deeper fractures within the organisation.

Despite the shakeups, Mistry still serves on the Tata Education and Development Trust, one of the smaller arms under the Tata Trusts’ broad philanthropic network.

The Small Animal Hospital Trust — the project at the heart of this story — is one of Ratan Tata’s personal passions. The five-storey specialty hospital in central Mumbai began operations in July last year, backed by ₹165 crore from Tata Trusts through the Advanced Veterinary Care Foundation. The facility was designed to offer advanced treatment for dogs, cats, birds, and other companion animals — a reflection of Tata’s lifelong affection for animals.

In his resignation letter, Mistry also recommended that the chairmanship of the hospital trust be reassigned, suggesting Siddharth Sharma, CEO of Tata Trusts, as the ideal candidate to oversee funding and operations. He proposed that the role be held for a fixed three-year term, renewable thereafter.

Following both resignations, the hospital trust board now consists of six members, including British veterinarian Thomas Heathcote, Major General Pramod Batra, former Hinduja Global Solutions CFO Lakshminarayanan CS, ex-GSK Pharma CFO Mehernosh Kapadia, Tata Trusts advisor Shastri RR, and Shantanu Naidu, who previously served as executive assistant to Ratan Tata.

The departures mark a sensitive moment for a project deeply tied to Ratan Tata’s legacy — one that blends philanthropy, compassion, and a vision for animal welfare that the Trusts will now have to steer forward under new leadership.