- Nita Ambani, the matriarch of Asia’s richest family, says her three children are choosing the roles they take in the empire instead of being told by their parents. The family became the center of global attention last year courtesy of a lavish wedding thrown for the youngest Ambani son.
Unlike other billionaire families, Asia’s richest dynasty is letting its heirs determine their own paths to the C-suite.
The Ambani empire is worth more than $90.5 billion, a fortune amassed courtesy of Reliance Industries, which owns the world’s largest oil refining complex.
The dynasty is currently headed by 67-year-old Mukesh Ambani whose father, Dhirubhai, founded the company in 1957.
Mukesh’s wife, Nita, left the board of Reliance in 2023 and with three adult children—Akash, Isha, and Anant—now in prominent roles across the business, questions of succession in the multibillion-dollar empire are beginning to be asked.
But the answers as to which child would take which departments weren’t doled out by the current stewards of the empire; it has naturally come about as a result of the heirs’ interests and characters.
“I didn’t decide, they decided,” Nita told Bloomberg in an interview released Thursday.
Her eldest son, Akash, has a preference for technology—serving as chairman of telecoms giant Reliance Jio Infocomm since 2022.
“Akash has been a tech buff from the time he was a little child,” Nita said. “I think it just became so much a part of his life, to be a part of Jio, that led to the largest digital transformation story in India.”
Akash’s twin sister, Isha, sits on executive boards across the Reliance brand—including on Reliance Retail Ventures, Reliance Jio Intercomm, and the Reliance Foundation.
“My Isha is a most intuitive and sensitive girl,” Nita continued. “It’s such a pleasure to have a daughter who has the same belief system, the same values in life. To see her as a woman leader today, as a part of Reliance Retail, truly brings so much pride [to] you.”
Nita’s youngest child with her husband, Mukesh, is Anant—whose lavish wedding became the focus of global attention last year after it was attended by the likes of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and the Kardashians.
Anant is involved in Reliance’s green initiatives, and has served on the boards of Reliance New Energy and Reliance New Solar Energy since 2021.
“My youngest, Anant, he always was about protecting the environment, saving the wildlife,“ Nita continued.
“So all of them are so passionate about what they do. Sometimes I just have to watch them fly to their own dreams.”
Nita herself is the founder-chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, and is aware of the role she has as the matriarch of the dynasty—particularly to other women.
“For me it is very important [that] their aspirations are fulfilled in life,” Nita, who was the first Indian woman to be elected to the International Olympic Committee, added. “I often sit down with them and say, ‘My schedules are flexible, please tell me when you want me to stay at home and babysit … but please feel free if you have a pressing engagement at work, I will manage the home, I will manage the children.’
“This is the time for them to take the lead.”
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The wedding of the year
The Ambani family was thrust further into the spotlight in 2024 after it hosted famous faces from across the globe as part of a five-month wedding celebration for the family’s youngest son.
Mukesh—named as one of Coins2Day’s 100 Most Powerful People in Business—and his wife reportedly spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the celebrations, which included performances from Justin Bieber and Rihanna.
“Every parent wants to do their best for their children’s wedding,” Nita told Bloomberg. “And that’s what we did. In all this I think was the ‘Made in India’ brand that came out—I’m just happy that I was able to … bring to the center stage our Indian traditions, our Indian heritage, and our Indian culture.”
The power of strong marital partnerships has been impressed upon the Ambani children, it seems, after seeing their parents married for 40 years.
Nita and Mukesh met when the former was a schoolteacher, she added: “I often tell my children that the biggest decision you take in your life is to choose your life partner. And every day of my life I feel so blessed because I’m married to my best friend.
“Mukesh has been my true supporter, the wind beneath my wings. He’s my biggest inspiration, to have married someone who supports you unconditionally … is truly a blessing.”