MUMBAI: A day after Tata Group abruptly ousted Cyrus Mistry as chairman, interim head Ratan Tata has asked CEOs of group firms to focus on their business and enhancing returns to shareholders without being distracted by change in top leadership.

After attending Monday’s eventful board meeting of Tata Sons – the holding company of Tata group – where Mistry was voted out, the Tata family patriarch met chief executives of group companies to talk about ongoing initiatives.

“We will evaluate and continue to undertake those (steps) that are required to. If there is any change, they will be discussed with you,” Tata, 78, told the top executives of the USD 100 billion conglomerate. Sources said he did not discuss the reasons that led to the sudden removal of Mistry. Tata, who was at the helm of the group for 21 years before passing on the baton to Mistry in December 2012, said he has assumed the role of the Interim Chairman for stability and continuity so that there is no vacuum. “This will be for a short time. A new permanent leadership will be in place,” he added. He asked them to focus on their respective businesses, without being concerned about change in leadership. “The companies must focus on their market position vis- -vis competition, and not compare themselves to their own past. The drive must be on leadership rather than to follow,” Tata told the leaders. “An institution must exceed the people who lead it.” In a sudden and dramatic turn of events, the board of Tata Sons on Monday sacked Cyrus Mistry as Chairman of India’s largest conglomerate Tata Group and replaced him by Tata. Tata Sons board has nine members including Tata. Six of them are said to have voted for removing Mistry while two abstained. Mistry, but naturally, opposed the decision. Mistry, 48, who was appointed as chairman in December 2012, was only the sixth group Chairman in nearly 15 decades and the first from outside the Tata family. He will remain a director of the individual companies, though his tenure as Chairman is the shortest so far at the group. Under Ratan Tata’s chairmanship spanning over two decades (1991 to 2012), the Group’s revenue grew from around USD 6 billion to USD 100 billion, driven by his expansionist strategy that included overseas purchases like tea maker Tetley in 2000 and luxury car company Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in 2008. Mistry, on the other hand, was looking at tackling mounting debt by raising cash, refinancing loans and selling assets after writing them down.—PTI