Nohria to Step Down from Tata Board of Directors

Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria will step down from the board of directors of Tata Sons when his term ends next month.

Nohria communicated to Tata leadership that he will not seek an extension on his directorship term, a top Tata group executive told The Business Standard. Nohria first joined the board on a five-year term as a non-executive board member in September 2013.

Tata Sons is the holding company of Tata Group, an India-based multinational conglomerate which includes companies such as Jaguar Land Rover — developers of luxury automobiles and off-road vehicles.

Business School spokesperson Jim Aisner ’68 confirmed Nohria’s decision to leave Tata’s board of directors. In an email Thursday, Aisner wrote that Business School faculty members often “have a changing portfolio of board service.”

“In addition, like his colleagues, Dean Nohria takes seriously the responsibilities of board membership, including the ability to participate in meetings in person,” Aisner wrote. “This was a concern, given the required travel to India.”

This move comes nearly a year after Nohria, 56, emerged as a leading contender to replace former University President Drew G. Faust as Harvard’s 29th President. The Harvard Corporation eventually selected Lawrence S. Bacow in February.

Nohria is also as a board member of Piramal Realty, a subsidiary of Mumbai-based Piramal Group, which owns businesses across the life sciences, healthcare, and glass packaging industries.

—Staff writer William L. Wang can be reached at william.wang@thecrimson.com.