NAME: Noel Tata AGE: 48 years DESIGNATION: Managing Director COMPANY: Trent Ltd

Is he the heir apparent to the Tata empire? His genealogy and surname would suggest he is. Group insiders swear that the succession issue is still open. But the speculation refuses to fizzle out. He's already established a track record. As Managing Director, he has turned the single-store Trent Ltd into a Rs 250-crore emerging retail powerhouse with 18 Westside stores all over the country and a Star India Bazar hypermarket in Ahmedabad. Tata's Rs 103-crore takeover of the Chennai-based Landmark in the last week of August will add five stores to his chain and about Rs 130 crore to his top line.

Like his half-brother, group Chairman Ratan Tata, Noel is very best practice-driven. He's also very hands-on: he visits the Trent showroom in Mumbai every weekend to gather information first hand, and has even helped patrons park their cars in the basement. Insiders say the younger Tata-he is the son-in-law of Pallonji Mistry, the largest shareholder in Tata Sons-is an intelligent and articulate leader with a penchant for independent thinking. For instance, he has painstakingly built his own Westside and Trent labels. Retailers that sell private labels typically enjoy higher margins than others. Tata told an interviewer sometime back: "This is what makes Westside different from other stores."

Noel, who declined to meet BT for this article, is moving up the Tata hierarchy, albeit slowly. He started his career with Tata Exports after studying in England and France, did a stint as Managing Director of Lakme Exports, moved to his current job in Trent and has recently joined the boards of Titan Industries and Voltas. Does this mark the beginning of his journey to the corner office in Bombay House? The bets are mounting.