Natarajan Chandrasekaran

Chandrasekaran studied in a Tamil Medium Government school in Mohanur. He later received a Bachelor's degree in Applied Sciences from the Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu. He earned his Master of Computer Applications (MCA) from the Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirappalli (now National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli), in Tamil Nadu, India, in 1986. Joining TCS in 1987, Chandrasekaran took over as CEO on 6 October 2009, prior to which he was COO and executive director of TCS. Chandrasekaran is a senior member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and an active member of Computer Society of India and British Computer Society. He was nominated as the chairman of Indian IT industry body NASSCOM in April 2015.

2018–2019 NCLAT verdicts

The Tata Sons board voted to remove Cyrus Mistry from the Chairmanship of Tata Sons on 24 October 2016.

In July 2018, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), issued a verdict in favour of Tata Sons on charges of mismanagement levelled by Mistry in 2016, two months following his ousting as chairman through a vote of non-confidence. On 10 July 2018, Mistry stated that he would appeal the decision.

In December 2019, the NCLAT reinstated Mistry as the Chairperson of Tata Sons for his remaining term, and declared that the appointment of Chandrasekaran as executive chairman was illegal.

Chandrasekaran was born into a Tamil Brahmin family in Mohanur near Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, India. He resides in Mumbai, with his wife Lalitha. As a marathon runner, he completed his fastest marathon or personal record at TCS New York City Marathon (2014) with a finishing time of 5 hr 00 min 52 sec. He also done char dham yatra multiple times.

2020 Supreme Court

In January 2020, Tata Sons appealed to the Supreme Court of India against NCLAT's decision. Mistry stated that he would not return to the Chairmanship of the conglomerate, but was interested in reserving his seat in the company's board. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justices B. R. Gavai and Surya Kant stayed NCLAT's order while hearing Tata Sons' appeal on 10 January 2020.

The bench stated, "We find there are lacunae in the judicial orders passed by the NCLAT."

In August 2026, Chandrasekaran announced that he would step down as Chairman of Tata Sons at the conclusion of his second term in February 2027. He has opted out of the post without seeking reappointment, following which the organisation has set up a selection committee to select the new chairman.