Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies.

66% of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation, and art and culture.

Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own Board of Directors.

Governance Philosophy

“The Tata philosophy of management has always been, and is today more than ever, that corporate enterprises must be managed not merely in the interests of their owners, but equally in those of their employees, of the consumers of their products, of the local community and finally of the country as a whole.” JRD Tata, 1973

Our Governance Philosophy is to ensure fair, transparent, accountable and ethical management in order to protect the interests of all stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, customers, vendors, regulators and society. As a responsible corporate citizen, Tata Sons follows the laws of the land in letter and spirit. Tata Sons also goes beyond mere compliance to highlight certain behaviours and norms to Tata group operating companies.

Our Governance Philosophy is based on resilience. Globally, organisations are becoming vulnerable as businesses become complex, virtual and interdependent. It is imperative to build a sustainable and resilient enterprise.

Tata Sons’ relationship with the group operating companies is governed by:

Shareholding in the group companies: Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and the promoter of its group operating companies.

Brand Equity & Business Promotion (BEBP) agreement: Every company that uses the 'Tata' brand is a signatory to the Tata Sons’ BEBP agreement. The agreement confers upon the operating companies the right to use the Tata brand in return for a commitment from them to run their businesses ethically and with excellence. As part of the BEBP agreement, the operating companies must adopt:

• Tata Code of Conduct (TCoC)
• Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM)

Tata Code of Conduct

The Tata Code of Conduct provides an ethical road map and guidelines for Tata employees and companies. All full-time employees of the Tata group are obliged to follow the tenets of the code of conduct. It encapsulates our values of integrity, responsibility, excellence, pioneering and unity. It lays down the principles of:

• the highest moral and ethical standards;
• highest standards of corporate governance;
• respect for human rights and dignity;
• professionalism, honesty, fairness and integrity

in all interactions with employees, customers, communities and the environment, partners, financial stakeholders, government and regulators and other group companies.

It also reaffirms our commitment to:

• the economic development of communities;
• highest standards of safety;
• maintaining a balance in the interest of stakeholders and treating them fairly to avoid discrimination;
• not engaging in unfair or restrictive trade practices, and compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations;
• creating an environment free of the fear of retribution; thereby allowing all stakeholders to raise ethics-related queries or concerns

Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM)

The Tata Business Excellence Group (TBExG) promotes business excellence in group companies by bringing in best-in-class processes and facilitating the sharing of best practices. The TBExG facilitates TBEM assessments in group companies to assess their process maturity levels, and overall performance. These assessments are conducted by trained and certified assessors who keep the context of the company in mind while applying the holistic TBEM criteria within the company and industry.

The TBEM criteria includes deployment of business practices for excellence in leadership and strategy and deployment of operational excellence. It reviews the approaches by which the company understands its customers and employees. It also examines the usage of data systems to measure, analyse and generate reusable knowledge assets. The TBEM assessment process, while corroborating the company’s strengths and practices, identifies opportunities for improvement and imperatives to enhance business performance. TBExG also shares best practices across group companies and encourages their adaptation for quicker learning and results.

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