Nita Ambani: The business royalty of India

It’s incredible how many things a person can manage at the same time. From supervising the construction of a new wing at Mumbai’s Hurkisondas Nurrotumdas Hospital, run by a trust controlled by the Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation to making sure that the Mumbai Indians are in perfect shape for the Champions League; and all this while carrying a queen like grace all the time. Nita Ambani is in true sense a luminary of the business world.

Then there is the Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS) as well, the project that is closest to her heart. Also, there are the affairs of the Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation, which she chairs, to go through. And, of course, the numerous family and other commitments that are part and parcel of being wife of Mukesh Ambani and the first lady of the RIL Empire.

Meeting with Neeta Ambani I hear is not the easiest of tasks. Many weeks and numerous calls later, one may be lucky enough to get a confirmation from her. So when you reach the clean, clutter-free and resplendent waiting room of her office, one cannot cease to wonder at the might of the Reliance Empire of which this may be a small yet significant part.

There are no hassles as with meeting with celebrities. No delays, No cancellations and definitely no last minute change of plans. Mrs. Ambani is a woman who respects time. Both hers and of others; and even while being in the midst of all the madness happening around her, Nita Ambani’s serenity is commendable.

“Everything at Reliance is always a bit of a whirlwind. So many things are happening all the time that you have to constantly shift focus,” she laughs, quoting the reason for all the wait and phone calls that had gone through to reach her.

Nita Ambani seems an accidental businesswoman. She got dragged into project execution almost two decades after she married Mukesh Ambani. Now she runs a not-inconsiderable enterprise with myriad activities. Most things she runs directly — the hospital and the school — are not technically businesses, unlike the Mumbai Indians franchise. But they are enormous and complex organizations nonetheless, employing hundreds of people.

They are private entities and trusts, so it is notoriously difficult to get an accurate handle on numbers. Intelligent estimates are, nevertheless, possible. It is estimated that over Rs 750 crore in revenues and over Rs 1,000 crore in annual investment budgets is being supervised by Nita Ambani which can definitely termed small.

While having the richest Indian for her husband, to being an idol in herself as well, Neeta Ambani will soon prove to be a valuable asset to even the reliance group which is headed by her husband, the mighty Mukesh Ambani. It would hence be quite interesting to witness the changes that Mrs. Ambani would bring along to reliance in case she thinks of joining in the brigade. But even for now, her efforts and accomplishments are the talk of the town and with her grace and business acumen, reliance industries limited may be well on its way to include hundreds of more ventures in the near future.