NA Soonawala is vice chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Investment Corporation, and deputy chairman of Tata Tea. He is also director of several companies including Tata Industries, Tata Motors, Indian Hotels, Trent, Tata Chemicals, Tata AG, Switzerland, Tata Limited, London, and the Tetley Group, UK.

He started his career as a senior project officer (finance) with ICICI and was deputed to the Development Banks in Ghana and Nigeria to assist and advise them on their organisation and methods of project appraisal and project financing, by the World Bank in 1965. He joined Tata Sons in 1968.

Mr Soonawala is a member and trustee of several trusts such as the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Bai Hirabai J. N. Tata Navsari Charitable Institution, Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust, J. R. D. Tata Trust, R. D. Tata Trust, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sarvajanik Seva Trust, among others.

A commerce graduate from Bombay University, Mr Soonawala is also a chartered accountant.