Here's how the Tata Group fared over the last decade under N Chandrasekaran

Tata Sons has seen a topline growth of 11.7% on a compounded basis under N Chandrasekaran’s chairmanship, while the profits have showed a compounded annual growth rate of 19.2%.

Chandrasekaran took charge of Tata Sons in February 2017, after the ouster of Cyrus Mistry as the chairman of the salt-to-software conglomerate. For the financial year 2017, the group’s topline stood at ₹6 lakh crore — which had grown to ₹16.24 lakh crore under the stewardship of Chandrasekaran. Similarly, profits grew from ₹34,909 crore in FY17 to ₹1.7 lakh crore in FY26.

Under Chandrasekaran, the net promoter score of Tata Sons has also improved from -35 in FY23 to +42 in June 2026.

Chandrasekaran on Wednesday decided to step down as the chairman of the conglomerate after his second five-year term ends in February 2027. Even as the revenues of Tata Sons have grown multiple times under Chandrasekaran, there have been a couple of sore points.

Under Chandrasekaran’s leadership, Tata Sons acquired Air India for ₹18,000 crore in June 2022. However, the airline is facing serious headwinds like airspace closures, war-driven fuel costs, AI171 crash in the recent past.

The airline continues to be a loss making entity. Air India posted a record net loss of ₹22,238 crore ($2.8 billion to $2.96 billion) for the 2025–26 fiscal year, more than doubling its losses from the previous year, as reported in disclosures by Singapore Airlines.

Similarly, in the digital business, which was launched under his stewardship, the group continues to make losses. Net loss for this business in FY26 stood at ₹4,974 crore.

These would be key challenges for Chandrasekaran’s successor, along with the potential threat of a listing. Remember that the Reserve

Bank of India has not yet decided on Tata Sons’ application to deregister as an NBFC. As a result, Tata Sons continues to be an upper layer NBFC — a select group of 17 shadow lenders that are mandatorily to be listed on the bourses.

Also Read: N Chandrasekaran Steps Down: Tata Group stocks sell-off with TCS dropping 4%

Click here to check LIVE Updates on the Tata Sons Chairman's decision to step down and seek reappointment once his term ends