Nita Ambani: A Portrait of Elegance, Philanthropy And Leadership

Introduction

Nita Ambani, an Indian philanthropist and a businesswoman whose name resonates with grace, elegance, and an indomitable spirit, stands as a beacon of inspiration in contemporary India. As the wife of Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), one of the world’s largest conglomerates, Nita Ambani has carved a niche for herself not just as a director of Reliance Industries but donning the hats of a philanthropist, educationist, and cultural icon. She is the chairperson and founder of the Reliance Foundation and Dhirubhai Ambani International School. She is also the owner of Mumbai Indians (Indian Premier League cricket team), an avid art collector, and a champion of women and children’s rights. She is the first Indian woman to be elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee.

Nita Ambani And Her Early Life

• Nita Ambani was born on 1 November, 1964 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, to a middle-class Gujarati family.
• She was the daughter of Purnima Dalal, a homemaker and Ravindra Bhai Dalal, a senior executive at Birla, a textile firm.

Nita Ambani And Her Education

• As she hailed from middle-class Gujarati family, her upbringing was rooted in strong values and a focus on education.
• She attended Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai, India where she earned her bachelor’s degree in commerce.
• She is a diploma holder in Early Childhood Education.
• Her early life was marked by a passion for classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam, and for teaching that made her poised and empathetic.
• At the age of six, she started training as a Bharatnatyam dancer and pursued her passion until she turned 20 years old.
• Her love for teaching continued at Sunflower Nursery even after marrying Mukesh Ambani in 1985.

Nita Ambani And Her Personal Life

• Nita Ambani was a school teacher before her marriage. Her life took a transformative turn when she married Mukesh Ambani in 1985.
• It is claimed that Mukesh Ambani’s father, Dhirubhai Ambani (Founder of Reliance Industries) witnessed one of her dance performances and was impressed by her modest and lively personality. He approached her family with a marriage proposal for his son, Mukesh Ambani. Their love blossomed and she agreed to marry him on one term that she could continue her teaching career after marriage.
• After becoming a wife of Mukesh Ambani, she became a significant part of one of India’s most prominent business families and contributed to the legacy of Reliance.
• She is the mother of two sons and a daughter. The elder two twins, Akash and Isha, were born  after eight years of marriage. Then her younger son, Anant was born after the three years of the twins’ birth. She is the grandmother of four children. She kept herself away from the limelight while raising her children.
• Her son, Akash Ambani and daughter-in-law, Shloka Mehta were blessed with a son named Prithvi, on 10 December 2020. They welcomed their second child, a baby girl, on 31 May 2023. 
• On 19 November 2022, her daughter, Isha Ambani, gave birth to twins, a boy named Krishna and a girl named Aadiya.
• Nita lives in Antilla, a 27-story house worth $1 billion (approx.), a skyscraper private building and the second-most luxurious and expensive house in the world.

Nita Ambani And Her Career

• Nita Ambani was elected to the Board of East India Hotels, the company that runs the Oberoi chain of hotels. 
• In 2014, she became the first female member of the board of directors of Reliance Industries Limited, India’s largest private sector company and involved in various strategic decisions that shaped the company’s growth.
• On 4 August 2016, Nita Ambani became the first Indian woman to be elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• On 28 August, 2023, Nita Ambani stepped down from her position from the board of directors at Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), and her three children appointed as Non –Executive Directors  of the company : son Akash leads Jio, daughter Isha oversees retail and financial services, and younger son Anant is involved in the energy sector, spearheading a new era of leadership with continuity and fresh perspectives for RIL’s future endeavours .
• Nita Ambani continues serving as the chairperson of the Reliance Industries and will continue to attend all RIL Board meetings as a permanent invitee.
• Her immense dedication and resilience has led her to manage a large business corporation, navigate the life challenges and balance family responsibilities, contribute to her philanthropic ventures and pursue her cultural goals with ease . Despite being associated with a business empire, she is well known for her ability to be humble, stay grounded, and have a great bonding with people from different walks of life.With the increasing use of mobile devices, ensure your blog is mobile-friendly. Also, a fast-loading site improves user experience and SEO rankings.
• She is the chairperson and founder of the Reliance Foundation, the largest philanthropic organisations of Reliance Industries Limited in India.
• She initiated a lot of business ventures.
• Her love for cricket propels her to be the co-owner of the IPL cricket team, Mumbai Indians.
• She is well known for having had a significant impact on amateur sports.
• She has played a crucial role in the expansion of Reliance Retail, making it one of the largest retail chains in India.

Nita Ambani And Her Philanthropic Activities

Reliance Foundation

• Her humble upbringing in a middle-class family has always made her sensitive towards less fortunate despite getting married to a billionaire and also instilled a value system that is giving back to society. Thus, her interest in the realm of philanthropy came into being.
• To accomplish her goal of making an equitable society, the Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic division of Reliance Industries Ltd. was established in 2010, and she became the founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation.
• The foundation focuses on various areas, including education, healthcare, rural development, urban renewal, sports for development, disaster response, and arts, culture, and heritage.
• Under her stewardship, the foundation has launched numerous initiatives that have impacted the lives of millions across India including the publication of a Hindi newspaper in Braille and cornea transplants, scholarships for students coming from modest backgrounds and state-of-the-art institutions that has made our country proud.
• Through The Reliance Foundation, she has made significant contributions to society and attained measurable progress towards the vision of an inclusive India where people of all faiths, backgrounds and abilities are included and empowered in the workplace, marketplace and society.
• Reliance Foundation also sponsored the exhibition ‘Gates of the Lord – The Tradition of Krishna Paintings’ at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Education

• Education is another realm of Nita Ambani’s philanthropic efforts.
• As she always wanted to ensure that each citizen in India has an easy access to affordable education, she built schools in the nearby rural communities while her husband, Mukesh Ambani was occupied in installing pipelines in Patalganga.
• More schools were established in Jamnagar due to her efforts.

Dhirubhai Ambani International School

• Nita Ambani is the Founder and Chairperson of the Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS), which was founded in 2003.
• This school is renowned for being one of the top international schools in India and has produced students who have gone to attend prestigious universities worldwide.
• She has been instrumental in shaping the school’s ethos, focusing on holistic development, academic excellence, and fostering a spirit of inquiry among students.
• The Dhirubhai Ambani Scholarship Programme, which enables students to pursue higher studies, has supported over 12,500 scholars, 20 per cent of whom are specially abled and almost 50 per cent are girls.
• DAIS has consistently ranked among the top IB schools in the world. 

Reliance Foundation Institution of Education and Research

• Reliance Foundation Institution of Education and Research was launched in Mumbai on September 12, 2017.
• It provides a world-class platform for research, innovation, and lifelong learning contributing to India’s social and economic progress.
• Jio Institute, an exemplary multi-disciplinary university, is established with the aim to redefine education in India.
• Being the Founder and Chairperson, Nita Ambani is spearheading the Jio Institute with a main focus to offer a unique learning environment for higher education.

Rural And Urban Development

Rural Area

• With Nita Ambani at the helm, The Reliance Foundation has made remarkable enhancement in the livelihoods of rural communities, transforming them self -sufficient.
• Numerous initiatives have been introduced to develop rural areas.
• To improve the quality of life in rural India, Bharat India Jodo (BIJ) initiative aims to bridge the gap between rural and urban India through sustainable development projects.
• These projects include – improving agricultural practices, introducing Reliance Nutrition Gardens, creating awareness about water conservation techniques, empowering farmers by forming Farmer Producer Organization, supporting women to make them economically independent, and enhancing healthcare ecosystem, and providing quality education facilities in rural areas.

Jamnagar Township Project

• Under the leadership of Nita Ambani, Reliance Industries initiated The Jamnagar Township project, focusing on creating a well-planned residential area with a vast mango orchard  for the employees of Reliance refinery at Jamnagar in Gujarat in 1997.
• This township provided housing, schools, healthcare facilities, recreational spaces, and infrastructure, improving the quality of life of the workers but also mitigating pollution contributing to the overall development of the region.

Health Care

• In the field of health care, The Reliance Foundation is committed to making high-quality healthcare accessible to all, irrespective of their socio-economic status.
• Nita Ambani envisions a health care system that not only provide treatment to the affected people but also focusses on medical education, research and preventive healthcare.

Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre

• Nita Ambani leads Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre, largest gold certified green hospital in Mumbai which provides world-class affordable medical care accessible to all Indians.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) set up the COVID-19 facility at Seven Hills Hospital in Mumbai, providing free-of-cost high -quality medical care to the affected people. It was the first COVID hospital in Mumbai funded by Reliance Foundation. 

Health Initiatives

• Reliance Foundation’s ‘Health for All’ initiative has provided primary medical care to over 2.5 million underprivileged people.
• The Reliance Foundation Drishti programme has gifted vision to over 19,500 people through corneal transplants and its international Braille newspaper in Hindi reaches readers across India and 15 countries.

Cultural And Artistic Endeavors

• Being an art collector, Nita Ambani’s efforts to take care of  India’s art, culture and heritage is remarkable.
• The Reliance Foundation has supported various cultural initiatives, including the restoration of heritage sites, promotion of traditional arts and crafts, and support for performing arts.
• As an exemplary Bharatanatyam dancer, she has performed at many global events, showcasing India’s classical dance forms to global audience.

Jio World Centre

• On March 4, 2022, Reliance Industries launched the Jio World Centre at Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex.
• Envisioned by Nita Ambani, this centre is an iconic cultural and business destination, blending international designs with Indian cultural essence and providing global platforms and opportunities to the world.

” A tribute to our glorious nation, we hope that the Jio World Centre will be a platform where the best of India and the world will meet. A place for cultures and communities to come together and script a new chapter in India’s growth story. “

– Nita M. Ambani

Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center

• On 31 March 2023, she launched the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center (NMACC) within the Jio World Centre at Bandra- Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai.
• This centre is built on 16,000 square feet space with four storeys focussing on performing arts, exhibtions and multi-disciplinary cultural programmes.
• There are four designated performing art spaces- The Grand Theatre ( with 2,000 seating arrangement), The Stage Theatre, The Cube and the Art House ( a four-storey space for leading Indian and international artists).
• The centre promises to preserve and promote visual arts, design, theatre and music of India.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

• As the first Indian Honorary Trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Reliance Foundation has sponsored numerous exhibitions, for instance  Phenomenal Nature: Mrinalini Mukherjee  and Modernism on the Ganges: Raghubir Singh Photographs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Sports

Nita Ambani promotes sports as a means to bring cultures together and bridge gaps between communities and across generations and is committed to building India as a multi-sports nation.

The Reliance Foundation’s Sports initiatives and its grassroots programmes, such as the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports, Reliance Foundation Young Champs and Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA have nurtured millions of young talents across India.

• The Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) initiative provides a platform for young talent to showcase their skills and receive professional training in India. RFYS organizes tournaments across various sports disciplines, encouraging youth participation and fostering a sports culture in the country.
• The Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC), a football academy which was launched in Navi Mumbai in 2015, identifying talented young footballers in India and focusing not only on football training but also on life skills and education. It is recognised as one of the best residential academies in India supported by The Reliance Foundation.
• The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program is a comprehensive school-based youth basketball program that has catered to millions of  children across 21 States and Union Territories in India since its inception in 2013.
• She is also the Founder & Chairperson of Football Sports Development Limited that launched the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2014, which has revolutionised football in India.
• She is the head of the Education and Sports for All (ESA) Initiative for children.
• Reliance Foundation collaborates with the Government of India to organize the Khelo India Youth Games, multi sports events. They provide a platform for young athletes to perform and compete at the national level.
• Nita Ambani is the co-owner of the Mumbai Indians, an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team, which has become five-time champion in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 and the most successful team in the IPL as of August 2024. Since 2010, the Mumbai Indians cricket team has been supporting ESA (Education and Sports for All) and providing education and sports opportunities to underprivileged children across India.
• She is the first Indian woman to be elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee on August 4, 2016.

NIita Ambani and Her Social Networking Platform

Her Circle

• She launched an inclusive and collaborative digital platform, not only for Indian women but extending its service to all women overseas, called “Her Circle” on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021.
• This is a social networking app which provide the ladies a joyful and safe space for interaction, engagement, discussion, collaboration, and mutual support.

“When women lean on women, incredible things happen,” Nita Ambani said at the launch.

“Whether it is the women from Reliance Foundation or the national and international women leaders that I have worked with, our shared experiences show me that in the end our struggles and triumphs resonate with each other,” she adds.

Nita Ambani Awards and Honours

• She received the ‘Beauty with Purpose Humanitarian Award’ from the Miss World Foundation at the 71st Miss World grand finale, which was held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, on 9 March 2024.
• The 2022 Global Business & Interfaith Peace Award was presented to Nita Ambani for her contributions to creating an inclusive India where people of all faiths, backgrounds and abilities are empowered in the workplace, marketplace, and society.
• The U.S.magazine, Town and Country, recognised Nita Ambani as one of the world’s top philanthropists in 2020.
• Fortune India ranked her as ‘India’s Most Powerful Women’.
• Business Today featured her as one of India’s most powerful women in 2020. 
• She was awarded the Best Corporate Promoter of Indian Sports by the Times of India in 2019 and 2018. 
• Nita  Ambani received the ‘Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award 2017’ from then-President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind for promoting young talents in sports.
• She was also conferred with the ‘Pravinchandra V. Gandhi Award for Excellence in Public Life’ by the Rotary Club of Bombay and was awarded ‘The Global Philanthropist and Leader of the Year Award’ by Vogue India magazine.
• Mrs. Ambani was also honored by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2017 for her philanthropic work, becoming the first South Asian to receive this accolade.
• In 2016, she was listed as one of the ‘fifty high and mighty Indians’ by India Today.
• Nita Ambani got featured in Forbes’ 2016 list of the Most Powerful Business women.

Nita Ambani and Her Achievements

• She is also on the Board of EIH Limited (East India Hotels- the parent of the Oberoi hotels chain).
• She is the first Indian woman to be elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee in 2016.
• She holds the designation of being the first Indian to be elected as an Honorary Trustee of the Board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2019.
• Nita Ambani is the co-chair of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image.
• She is also on the Advisory Board of Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health.

Ambani’s Combined Net Worth

• As of 2024, Nita Ambani’s net worth is not explicitly available . However, her family fortune estimated at US $117.8 billion (March 2024), making the Ambanis’ one of the richest in the world.
• Nita Ambani’s personal net worth would be part of this vast family wealth, including their extensive investments in industries such as petrochemicals, telecom, retail, and more.

Conclusion

Nita Ambani’s journey from being a school teacher from a middle-class family to becoming one of the most influential women in India is a testament to the power of vision, perseverance, and compassion. Nita Ambani’s contributions and dedication to society, whether through philanthropy, education, healthcare, sports, or business, have made her a prominent figure in India and beyond. She embodies the spirit of giving and the belief that true success lies in uplifting others and creating a positive impact on society. As she continues to inspire and lead, Nita Ambani remains a symbol of grace, strength, and unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.

Interesting Facts About Nita Ambani

• Nita Ambani began learning Bharatanatyam dance, the south Indian form of classical dance at a young age and became a skilled dancer.
• Her grandfather was a French Professor in Kolkata.
• When her future father-in-law, Dhirubhai Ambani, called her after seeing her performing a Bhartanatyam dance, she could not believe that it was Dhirubhai Ambani and put the call off and when he called her for the second time and said- “I am Dhirubhai Ambani “, she replied- “Yeah so, I am Elizabeth Taylor.” After her marriage, she was out of the limelight for the first 20 years.
• Before getting married to Mukesh Ambani, once she made him ride on a Best Bus in Mumbai in order to meet her.
• She is a fitness freak, enjoys yoga, swimming, or working out.
• She is a fashion enthusiast. She adores designer handbags, watches, and shoes.
• She has a great passion for teaching since her youth.
• She wanted to become a lawyer but had to quit her law studies after her father-in-law fell ill.
• Nita Ambani turned everyone’s heads at the 71st Miss World pageant with her Banarasi saree accessorised with a jewellery piece, a bajubandh, worth Rs. 200 crores, which reportedly belonged to Shah Jahan, ruler of Mughal era.
• Nita and Mukesh hosted a three-day pre-wedding event for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar, Gujarat, from 1 March 2024 to 3 March 2024. The lavish event drew around 1200 guests, including Bollywood celebrities, tech giants like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, and Hollywood stars Rihana and Akon.

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