Produced by: Anwesha Madhukalya
Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Anant Ambani is the youngest son of billionaire chairman of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani and Reliance Foundation founder, Nita Ambani. He is the third of the Ambani children after twins Isha and Akash Ambani.
Mukesh Ambani in the recent annual general meeting announced the appointment of his three children to the board of Reliance Industries. Akash Ambani is the chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, Isha Ambani is driving the expansion and growth of the retail arm, and Anant Ambani is closely involved in the new energy business.
Anant Ambani heads the energy businesses of Reliance Industries as well as its global operations in renewable and green energy. Reliance aims to become a net carbon zero company by 2035, under Anant Ambani’s leadership.
Apart from heading and driving the growth of the new energy business, Anant Ambani also serves as a director on the boards of Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail Ventures. He is also in the governing council of Jio Institute.
Anant Ambani completed his schooling at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School. He then pursued a bachelor’s degree from Brown University in the US.
In an impassioned speech in 2018, on the birth anniversary of his grandfather and Reliance Industries founder Dhirubhai Ambani, Anant Ambani has said that the most important mission of his life was to serve the Reliance family. "India should lead the change and Reliance should be at the forefront of that change," he said.
“I deeply respect my parents and they are my gurus. I am very religious and God is my constant companion. I also respect every religion and their gods. I am concerned about the environment. I deeply care about animals and for me to serve my Reliance family is the most important mission of my life. Your pain is my pain. Your joy is my joy. Your tears are my tears. Your smile is my smile…Reliance meri jaan hai,” ge said.
The youngest Ambani’s love for animals is also rather well-known. Anant is currently involved in several initiatives to rehabilitate at-risk animals and to provide them care and dignity.
Soon after Isha’s engagement with Anand Piramal and Akash’s engagement with Shloka Mehta five years ago, an image of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant floated around, sparking rumours about their engagement. But the couple got engaged in January 2023 at the Ambani residence, Antilia. Radhika Merchant, daughter of Shaila and Viren Merchant, is a graduate of New York University and serves as a director on the board of Encore Healthcare.
The Ambani family had a surprise performance after the engagement ceremony. They also conducted rituals such as Chunari Vidhi and Gol Dhana, after which the families exchanged gifts and greetings. Mukesh Ambani's mother, Kokilaben, gave an emotional speech at the ceremony. The couple, soon after the engagement, was seen offering prayers at Sri Venkateswara temple, atop Tirumala Hills.
Two advisory firms recommended Reliance shareholders to vote against the proposal to appoint Anant Ambani to the board of the group. They cited his young age and lack of experience as the reason. The shareholder vote that will close on October 26 is crucial to Mukesh Ambani's succession plan.