Whoever succeeds him in India's highest-profile job is likely to be less caught up in details and more focused on taming an unwieldy $67 billion business that earns pedestrian returns and is saddled with debt after an acquisition spree.
The search for a successor to head the enterprise, founded by 73-year-old Ratan Tata's great-grandfather in 1868, has not gone entirely as planned. Last August, Ratan Tata, who has been at the helm for 20 years, had predicted it would announce a successor by March this year.
No announcement is imminent, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters earlier this week.
The delay underscores the challenges facing the group, which for the first time in its 143-year history is looking outside the family, and the companies, to fill the top spot.
