MUMBAI – Isha Ambani, the 22-year-old daughter of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, who has been working as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. in the US since May last year, is likely to play a larger role in the group’s consumer-facing businesses.
“The retail business has turned profitable and RIL is now India’s biggest retail company. The company is also investing in the media. Isha, who graduated from Yale University with specialisation in psychology and South Asian studies in 2013, could emerge as the face of these two businesses,” a source close to RIL said.
The Reliance spokesperson did not respond to HT’s questions on the issue. Incidentally, Adil Zainulbhai, former chairman of McKinsey India, joined the RIL board as an independent director in December 2013.
Isha Ambani at a Reliance event. (Agencies)
Reliance has investments in the CNBC-TV18 group. It is also hiring journalists and other media professionals to generate content for its 4G telecom venture, Reliance Jio Infocomm, where Isha’s twin brother Akash, an alumnus of Brown University, is currently earning his spurs.
Sources close to the developments added that Akash and Isha are being groomed the same way Dhirubhai Ambani groomed his sons Mukesh and Anil. Mukesh had joined Reliance when he was 24 and helped set up the world’s largest petrochemical complex at Patalganga.
The youngest of the three Ambani children, Anant, who is currently pursuing higher studies at Brown University, will be the next in line to join daddy Ambani’s business. Anant, who is a keen sport enthusiast, is often seen next to his mother Nita Ambani at IPL matches featuring the Reliance-owned Mumbai Indians.
