Tata Group, India’s biggest conglomerate, has sacked chairman Cyrus Mistry after a “clash of cultures” saw him lose the backing of Ratan Tata, his predecessor and patriarch of the founding family.

印度最大企业集团塔塔集团(Tata Group)炒掉了董事长塞勒斯.密斯特里(Cyrus Mistry)，此前发生的“文化冲突”让他失去了创始家族的掌门人、他的前任拉丹.塔塔(Ratan Tata，见上图)的支持。

In a brief statement that sent shockwaves through India’s business circles, the company also said the board was reinstating former chairman Ratan Tata as interim chairman.

塔塔集团发布的一份简短声明震惊了印度商界，该公司同时表示前董事长拉丹.塔塔复职为临时主席。

It said it had already established a committee to identify a long-term successor for Mr Mistry, a process it said would be completed within the next four months. The statement gave no explanation for the removal of Mr Mistry, whose family controls 18 per cent of Tata Sons, the conglomerate’s holding company.

塔塔集团表示已成立一个委员会来物色密斯特里的长期继任者，这一过程将在未来四个月内完成。这份声明没有对密斯特里的免职作出解释，其家族控制着集团控股公司Tata Sons 18%的股权。

A person with direct knowledge of Mr Tata’s thinking told the Financial Times the chairman had been replaced as a result of a “lack of performance”.

一位直接了解拉丹.塔塔思路的人士向英国《金融时报》透露，密斯特里被替换的原因是“缺乏绩效”。

In the past four years, investors had grown frustrated with Mr Mistry, whom they accused of ducking tough decisions needed to overhaul the sprawling group.

投资者在过去四年对密斯特里感到失望，指责他逃避作出改革这家庞大集团所需的艰难决定。

The person added that Mr Tata had been concerned about an erosion of the conglomerate’s ethical culture and long-term principles under his successor, and that their relations had reached breaking point over the past two months.

这位消息人士还表示，拉丹.塔塔担心该集团的伦理文化和长期原则在这位继任者治下受到侵蚀，两人之间的关系在过去两个月达到断裂点。

Mr Mistry created a five-person “group executive council” that was younger than the top team during Mr Tata’s tenure, and was seen by some in Mumbai’s business community as lacking the previous team’s expertise.

密斯特里创建了一个五人“集团执行委员会”，该小组比拉丹.塔塔任职期间的高管团队年轻，孟买部分商界人士认为，这个小组在经营诀窍上不如前任管理团队。

“The clash of cultures was getting to such an extent that it would be difficult to repair,” this person said.

这位消息人士表示：“文化冲突达到了难以修复的程度。”

“The board, on the recommendation of the principal shareholders, decided it was time to consider a change,” said another person close to the group, who confirmed that this was a reference to the Tata Trusts — charitable bodies controlling 66 per cent of Tata Sons’ stock, which are chaired by Mr Tata.

塔塔集团另一名知情人表示：“根据主要股东的建议，董事会决定是时候考虑作出改变。”他确认，主要股东是指塔塔基金(Tata Trusts)——该慈善机构由拉丹.塔塔主持，控制着Tata Sons 66%的股权。

Tata Sons in turn exercises control over the group through large stakes in businesses such as Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors and Tata Steel.

Tata Sons反过来通过对塔塔咨询服务公司(Tata Consultancy Services)、塔塔汽車(Tata Motors)和塔塔钢铁(Tata Steel)等企业持有大笔股权来对塔塔集团行使控制。