If you’ve followed Indian business news or celebrity gossip in recent years, you’ve likely asked who is Anant Ambani at least once. The youngest son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, he’s stepped out of his family’s shadow in recent years to carve his own path across business, philanthropy, and social initiatives. Unlike many high-profile heirs, he’s kept a relatively low profile for most of his life, only taking on more public roles as he’s taken on greater responsibility at Reliance. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about his background, work, and the impact he’s already making at just 28 years old.
Who Is Anant Ambani: Early Life and Educational Background
Anant was born in Mumbai in 1995, the youngest of three children to Mukesh and Nita Ambani. He grew up alongside siblings Isha and Akash, both of whom also hold senior leadership roles at Reliance. His childhood was marked by significant health challenges that he’s only spoken about publicly in recent years. His lifelong battle with chronic asthma and weight-related health issues led to multiple hospital stays and surgeries as a child, and the medication he took to manage his symptoms caused substantial weight gain that made him the target of cruel online bullying for decades.
He completed his undergraduate degree at Brown University in the United States, where he studied international relations and economics, before going on to earn his MBA from Stanford University. I’ve seen dozens of interviews with his former classmates, and almost all mention he was far more focused on volunteering and animal welfare projects than attending high-profile social events through his college years. He often spent weekends volunteering at local animal shelters in Providence while studying at Brown, a habit he brought back with him to India after graduation.
His Core Professional Roles at Reliance Industries
Anant joined the Reliance leadership team full time in 2018, and has steadily taken on more responsibility every year since. He currently leads the company’s fast-growing renewable energy and new energy verticals, which are seen as the future of the $220 billion conglomerate. The Reliance New Energy Solar initiative that he oversees is one of the largest green energy projects in the world, with a planned $10 billion investment over the next five years to make India a global leader in affordable, accessible clean power.
He also sits on the board of directors for Reliance’s refining and petrochemical divisions, which still make up the majority of the company’s annual revenue. His focus right now is balancing the company’s existing profitable operations with a long-term transition to low-carbon energy sources that benefit both the business and the general public. His key ongoing projects at Reliance include:
- The Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex in Gujarat, set to be operational by 2026, will create over 100,000 local jobs and cut India’s reliance on imported renewable energy technology by 70% once fully scaled
- Reliance's battery storage technology division, which is developing low-cost, long-lasting batteries for residential and commercial use across rural India where grid access is unreliable
- The company's biofuel research program, focused on creating affordable alternatives to petrol and diesel for agricultural and transport use that will cut fuel costs for small farmers by up to 40%
Many industry analysts note that his focus on green energy is not just a business play, but a personal commitment to reducing India's carbon footprint. He's spoken publicly about how growing up in Mumbai, he saw first-hand the impact of air pollution on low-income communities, and that experience shaped his push for more accessible clean energy. He is the youngest member of Reliance's board of directors, appointed in 2024, and is widely expected to take on a larger leadership role as the company shifts its focus to sustainable operations.
Philanthropic Work and Social Initiatives
While his professional work at Reliance gets a lot of press, Anant’s true passion lies in philanthropy, especially animal welfare and rural development. His flagship charitable project is Vantara, a 3,000-acre animal rescue and rehabilitation center located in Gujarat’s Jamnagar district. It’s the largest facility of its kind in Asia, and provides shelter, medical care and long-term housing for injured, abandoned and endangered animals from across India and surrounding countries.
The Vantara initiative has rescued over 20,000 animals since its launch in 2023, including elephants, big cats, bears, and hundreds of species of endangered birds. I visited the Vantara complex earlier this year, and was struck by how involved he is in day-to-day operations, from checking in on rescued elephants to sitting in on staff training sessions for new animal care protocols. Most high-profile donors would never put in that level of hands-on work, and it’s clear the project is deeply personal to him.
He also runs multiple rural development initiatives through the Reliance Foundation, focused on building schools, primary healthcare centers and clean water infrastructure in remote parts of India that have been overlooked by government programs. He’s partnered with global nonprofits to roll out free telehealth services to over 2,000 rural villages, and has funded hundreds of adaptive devices and job training programs for people with physical and intellectual disabilities across the country.
Personal Life and Lesser-Known Facts
Anant married long-time partner Radhika Merchant, a businesswoman and dancer, in 2023 in a series of ceremonies that blended private family moments with public events for Reliance employees and local community members. Unlike many high-profile celebrity weddings, the couple banned media from most of their personal ceremonies, and donated over $5 million to local food banks and children’s charities as part of their wedding celebrations.
He’s a lifelong sports fan, and serves as a co-owner of the Mumbai Indians IPL cricket team, as well as the team’s women’s league and franchise leagues in other countries. He speaks four languages fluently: English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi, and often gives speeches in local languages when visiting rural project sites to connect more easily with community members. He follows a strict daily fitness routine that he adopted after his highly publicized 108 kg weight loss transformation a few years ago, waking up at 5am every day to work out and meditate before starting his work schedule.
Unlike many of his peers, he rarely posts on social media, and only uses his public platforms to share updates about his work and philanthropic projects, not personal vacations or events. He’s also a huge fan of vintage Bollywood films, and has a personal collection of over 500 classic film reels that he’s been building since he was 12 years old. He’s said in past interviews that he watches at least one old Bollywood film a week to unwind after busy work days.
At the end of the day, who is Anant Ambani depends entirely on who you ask. For Reliance employees, he's a forward-thinking leader pushing the company into a more sustainable future. For animal welfare advocates, he's a rare high-profile ally putting real money and effort behind protecting vulnerable species. For young Indian entrepreneurs, he's an example of how you can use privilege to create real positive change instead of just enjoying the benefits of family wealth. No matter what your prior perception of him was, it's clear he's only just getting started on building a legacy that goes far beyond his family name.