Harish Bhat Resigns From Trent Board After 12 Years, Citing Commitments

Harish Bhat resigned from the board of Trent Ltd. on October 17, 2026, citing growing professional and personal commitments, Zee Business reported. Bhat had served on the board of the Tata Group retailer, which operates Westside and Zudio, since April 2014 as a non-executive, non-independent director.

Bhat's Letter to Chairman Noel N. Tata

In his resignation letter dated October 17, 2026, Bhat thanked Trent's board and chairman Noel N. Tata for the opportunity to contribute to the company's governance and strategic direction. "It has been a pleasure and privilege to serve on the Board of Trent Ltd. for the past several years, and to participate actively in the deliberations of the Board," Bhat wrote in the letter addressed to Tata. He also said Tata's leadership had played an instrumental role in the company's rapid growth and transformation, adding: "Thank you very much for the opportunity that the Board and you have provided me, to contribute to the governance and strategic directions of the Company."

Bhat joined the Tata Group in 1987 as an officer in the Tata Administrative Service and later served as brand custodian at Tata Sons. He held leadership roles at Tata Global Beverages Ltd. as managing director and at Titan Company Ltd. as chief operating officer of its watches and jewellery businesses, and he also worked in the group's telecom business. Bhat currently serves as a director at Tata Starbucks Pvt. Ltd. and Infiniti Retail Ltd., and is an alumnus of BITS Pilani and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.

Trent's Board and Leadership Records

According to akta.pro company records, Noel Tata announced his retirement as chairman at Trent's 74th AGM, stepping down in November 2026 upon reaching the Tata Group's 70-year retirement age cap for non-executive directors. The same records list P. Venkatesalu as managing director, Harish Bhat as non-executive non-independent director and Jayesh Merchant as independent director. Trent operates 1,286 stores across 321 Indian cities under Westside, Zudio, Star Bazaar, Utsa, SAMOH and Burnt Toast, and holds 20% stakes in the Zara and Massimo Dutti India joint ventures.

Store Additions and Revenue Before the Resignation

Trent added 17 Zudio and 10 Westside stores and plans expansion into Tier-II and Tier-III cities, Zee Business reported on October 16, 2026. The Times of India reported on October 5, 2026, that Trent's Q2 revenue rose 23% year-on-year to Rs 5,788 crore, with H1 revenue at Rs 11,454 crore, and that the company opened its 1,000th Zudio store during the quarter, bringing its total store count to 1,342 as of September 30, 2026.

Trent's October 29 Board Meeting

Trent said its board would meet on Thursday, October 29, to consider and approve the unaudited standalone and consolidated financial results for the quarter and half-year ended September 30, 2026.