Mistry said he would not seek funds from the philanthropic entities that control the Tata conglomerate, particularly since he was removed from them last month.
Weeks after stepping down from Tata Trusts, Ratan Tata’s close confidant Mehli Mistry has resigned from the board of Tata’s pet initiative, the Small Animal Hospital Trust, stating that he is no longer in a position to fund the trust.
Mistry said he would not seek funds from the philanthropic entities that control the Tata conglomerate, particularly since he was removed from them last month.
However, he continues to serve on the board of the Tata Education and Development Trust, which operates under the Sir Ratan Tata Trust headed by Noel Tata. Since he is no longer associated with the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), he would not be in a position to provide funding for the Small Animal Hospital Trust, Mistry said in his resignation letter.
He added that he would also prefer not to request funding from a trust with which he is no longer associated, and therefore tendered his resignation with immediate effect.
“Our founder, Ratan N. Tata, while seeking care for his beloved pet, encountered firsthand the challenges in accessing advanced veterinary treatment in India. This deeply personal experience sparked a vision — to create a space where pets receive the best medical care, empathy, and dignity. The journey to raise the standards of veterinary care in India began, and it marked the inception of SAHM,” the hospital’s website states.
Small Animal Hospital, Mumbai (SAHM), was set up by the Tata Trusts through the Advanced Veterinary Care Foundation (AVCF) to ensure that every aspect — from medical infrastructure to compassionate service — meets the unique needs of small companion animals and their families.
On November 4, Mistry, who had been involved in a tussle with Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and other trustees, parted ways with the Tata group, saying that “precipitating matters would cause irreparable harm to the reputation of the Tata Trusts”. A close confidant of Ratan Tata, Mistry was voted out of Tata Trusts by other trustees in the last week of October when his renomination proposal came up. He had been appointed a trustee three years earlier, in October 2022.
Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust are the two principal trusts within Tata Trusts, with several smaller trusts operating under them.
On November 11, the Board of Trustees of the SDTT unanimously approved the induction of Bhaskar Bhat, former MD and CEO of Titan Company, and Neville Tata, son of chairman Noel Tata, as trustees with effect from November 12, 2025, for a three-year term. Neville’s induction is seen as strengthening Noel Tata’s influence within Tata Trusts. The Tata Trusts hold a 66 per cent stake in Tata Sons, the principal holding company of the Tata group.
