On the 40-under-40 technology list 2020 of the Fortune magazine, scions of Mukesh Ambani and board directors of Jio, Akash Ambani and Isha Ambani made their place as most influential young leaders.
He is a graduate from Brown University, Ivy League research university and she an Ivy-League graduate from Yale University with a degree in psychology and South Asian studies. The scions of Mukesh Ambani, the leading name in India’s hyper-competitive telecom market and owner of oil and gas company Reliance Industries worth billion dollars, Akash Ambani and Isha Ambani Piramal have carved a niche for themselves in the business. Following the footsteps of their father, Akash and Isha are an inspiration to the aspiring businessmen/women. (Also Read: Life Of Dhirubhai Ambani With His Wife, Kokilaben Ambani: How He Had Encouraged Her To Learn English)
As per Bloomberg Billionaires Index list of the world's richest, Mukesh Ambani holds the eighth position with the total net worth of USD 81.9 billion. And following his footsteps, Akash Ambani and Isha Ambani Piramal have gradually established themselves in the business world. While Akash had joined Reliance in 2014 after receiving an economics degree from Brown University, Isha had joined a year later, following stints at Yale, Stanford, and McKinsey. Akash and Isha are also training their younger brother, Anant Ambani, who is a more recent addition to Jio’s board.
On the 40-under-40 technology list 2020 of the Fortune magazine, scions of Mukesh Ambani and board directors of Jio, Akash Ambani and Isha Ambani Piramal made their place as the most influential young leaders. The report in the Fortune magazine stated, "They say data is the new oil--and when it comes to Reliance Industries, India's largest company, that's literally the case. The 47-year-old conglomerate amassed a fortune in petrochemicals before dominating India's mobile connectivity market with Jio, a low-cost wireless carrier it debuted in 2016. Akash and Isha Ambani are the twin children of Reliance's chairman and managing director, Mukesh Ambani, who happens, not coincidentally, to be India and Asia's richest man."
Revealing how the twins, Akash Ambani and Isha Ambani Piramal have helped launch Jio Mart, a venture that aims to challenge Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart for command of India’s massive and fast-growing online shopping market, the report continued, "Reliance is a family business. Akash joined the company in 2014 after receiving an economics degree from Brown University. Isha joined a year later, following stints at Yale, Stanford, and McKinsey. As Jio board members, they helped seal the company's recent megadeal with Facebook--USD 5.7 billion for a 9.99 per cent stake--plus major follow-on investments from marquee tech titans like Google, Qualcomm, and Intel. The flurry of investments lent the business an eye-popping USD 65 billion private valuation. Recently, Akash and Isha helped launch Jio Mart, a venture that aims to challenge Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart for command of India's massive and fast-growing online shopping market."
What is it like to grow up in one of the most respectable and richest families in the world? Isha Ambani Piramal had answered in her interview with the Vogue, “The surprising truth is that though my parents were exceptionally busy, they were really hands-on. I was born in 1991, right after Liberalisation, which was a real inflection point for the Indian economy—it was the first time that Indian companies could dream of global scale. I saw my father work very hard to chase that dream and build Reliance into the organisation that it is today. And though he worked long hours, he was always there when we needed him. At home, we were raised to have the same value system that our parents grew up with. They made sure we understood the value of money, hard work and humility.” (Also Read: Nita Ambani And Isha Ambani's Resemblance In Their Bridal Looks Prove 'Like Mother, Like Daughter')
Apart from being a wonderful mother and a wife, Nita Ambani has been leading various Reliance enterprises. Speaking about what she has learnt from her mother and about her attitude towards women at her workplace, the multi-millionaire heiress, Isha Ambani Piramal had stated, “As much as I want to believe that women can have it all, I know that my mom gave it all up to raise us. But once we grew up, I also saw her balance work and home perfectly. Watching her play all these different roles—from full-time mom to businesswoman—I learnt how important each facet is in a woman’s life and how one needs to define what “having it all” means during these different stages. I feel very passionately about gender equality and equal participation in the work force because growing up I was made to believe that I could do whatever my brothers could do, as well if not better. So as a working woman, I believe that companies must create an environment that fosters equal participation.”
In a 2017 interview with GQ magazine, revealing what he has learnt from his father, Mukesh Ambani, Akash Ambani had stated, “As a student at an American university, I knew first-hand the power of super-fast broadband: where high-speed internet was a fundamental service and daily life depended on it – our courses, entertainment, everything. I also knew the bandwidth I was getting at home was absolute bullshit. I couldn’t even Skype with my friends in America while I was in India. So I knew there was a big market gap, and looked at Jio as an opportunity to solve the broadband issue: for mobile as well as for people’s homes. We were the 14th operator to enter this market, but that doesn’t mean the 15th player won’t disrupt us. That’s why I spend a lot of time studying new technologies. We disrupted the market, but can’t believe someone won’t try again.”
And how his mother, Nita Ambani had given him his first exposure to work with their Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Mumbai Indians, Akash Ambani had shared, “She gave me my first exposure to work with the Mumbai Indians. They’re Reliance’s best-loved consumer brand, though not a huge business; yet she didn’t let me take it lightly or for granted, insisting that I be thoughtful about all aspects. Initially, I’d get tired and wonder why I should think through things like financial structure. I was a kid at the time, and thought that my job was to pick the players. But she made sure I was involved in all aspects, and showed me why focusing on details is crucial: that as a responsible leader you need to be on top of everything, not just the aspects that give you a sense of power. And this fundamental shift in mindset has allowed me to enjoy everything I work on.” (Also Read: Unseen Childhood Pictures Of Isha Ambani, Akash Ambani And Anant Ambani Reflects Their Loving Bond)
Congratulations Isha and Akash!