Anant Ambani's AGM debut signals generation shift at RIL

Ambani scion details growth plans in petrochem, bioenergy and green hydrogen

- DEV CHATTERJEE

Anant Ambani, the youngest son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, grabbed eyeballs for the first time as executive director (ED) of Reliance Industries (RIL), leading the company's vast oil, gas and petrochemicals' empire at its annual general meeting (AGM) on Friday.

Mukesh Ambani, 68, chairman of RIL, set the stage for his younger son's debut. "This is the first time he is addressing you at Reliance's AGM," the chairman told shareholders at the online meeting. "I am as excited as all of you to see him make a debut on our platform."

Anant, 30, presented Reliance's ambitious vision for its legacy energy business, a sector that has defined the company for decades.

It is undergoing rapid transformation amid global energy shifts and clean-energy transition.

Anant's debut marked the clearest sign of a generational transition at Reliance, with each of Mukesh Ambani's children carving out their own leadership domains.

According to the current planning, Akash Ambani, 33, leads initial public offering (IPO)-bound Reliance Jio's telecom and digital businesses, and his twin sister Isha oversees retail and consumer products. Anant is being positioned as the steward of Reliance's legacy energy empire — spanning oil, gas, refining, petrochemicals and the pivot to clean fuels.