Harish Manwani in fray to lead Tata Group: Sky News

MUMBAI: Former Unilever chief operating officer Harish Manwani's name has surfaced as a possible candidate to helm the $108-billion Tata Group as its new chairman.

Sky News reported that Manwani, who is the chairman of Hindustan Unilever, the Indian subsidiary of the global consumer goods behemoth, was in the frame to steer the Tatas. Manwani retired as Unilever COO but is active on the boards of several global corporations.

Tata Sons has appointed a search committee to name a new chairman after Cyrus Mistry was abruptly removed from the post one month ago. Tata watchers have veered towards the possibility of an internal candidate becoming the next boss of India's largest private conglomerate.

Tata Consultancy Services chief executive N Chandrasekharan is seen leading the internal fray of candidates. Apart from Chandrasekaran, the other names which are doing the rounds include PepsiCo chairman & CEO Indra Nooyi and former Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin.

Sources said Manwani could be one of the potential candidates approached since he has the profile to fit the role of Tata chairman. But it remains to be seen if the search committee would recommend an outsider given the turmoil engulfing the group following Mistry's defiance, they added.