Key facts
- Known for: Businessman, chairman of Reliance Industries
- Born: 19 Apr 1957, Aden (now in Yemen)
- Age: 69 years (as of 8 Nov 2026)
- Spouse: Nita Ambani (m. 1985)
- Net worth: US$91.8 billion (Forbes real-time, 8 Nov 2026)
Born in Aden, raised in Bhuleshwar
Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani was born on 19 Apr 1957 in Aden, then a British colony and now part of Yemen. His father, Dhirubhai Ambani, was working there as a clerk and petrol-station attendant. His mother is Kokilaben Ambani. He has a younger brother, Anil, and two sisters, Nina Kothari and Dipti Salgaocar.
The family moved back to India in 1958, when Dhirubhai started a small yarn and spice trading business in Bombay. They lived in a two-bedroom flat in Bhuleshwar until the 1970s. Mukesh took buses to school and didn't get pocket money. Later the family moved into Sea Wind, a 14-storey building in Colaba, with each brother's family on its own floors.
Education and Stanford
He went to Hill Grange High School on Peddar Road with his brother Anil and his friend Anand Jain, who later became a close business associate. He then studied at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, and earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University Department of Chemical Technology, now the Institute of Chemical Technology.
In 1979 he enrolled for an MBA at Stanford University. He left in 1980 when his father called him home to help build Reliance's first big manufacturing project. He had already been appointed to the Reliance board, on 1 Apr 1977, when he was still a student. He has named his professors William F. Sharpe at Stanford and M. M. Sharma in Mumbai as major influences.
Career milestones
- 1981
Joins Reliance; builds the Patalganga plant
- 1999
Jamnagar refinery begins operating
- 2002
Becomes chairman after his father's death
- 2016
Launches Reliance Jio
- 2023
Akash, Isha and Anant join Reliance's board
- 2026
Jio Platforms lists on the stock market
Building Reliance's factories
At 24 he was put in charge of the polyester filament yarn plant at Patalganga, near Mumbai. Over the next two decades he oversaw Reliance's move backwards along the supply chain: from textiles to polyester, then to petrochemicals, then to refining crude oil itself.
His biggest project was the refinery at Jamnagar in Gujarat, which started operating in 1999. Reliance later added a second refinery next to it, making Jamnagar the world's largest refining complex at a single site. It's still the core of Reliance's oil-to-chemicals business.
His father had a stroke in 1986, and Mukesh and Anil took on more of the day-to-day running of the company. They ran it together until Dhirubhai died on 6 Jul 2002.
The split with Anil
After their father's death the brothers fell out over control of the group. In 2005 their mother, Kokilaben, brokered a division. Mukesh kept Reliance Industries, with its refining, petrochemicals and oil and gas businesses. Anil took the newer telecom, power and financial-services companies.
Their paths went very differently. Mukesh's Reliance kept growing; several of Anil's companies later ran into heavy debt. In 2019, when a Mumbai court threatened Anil with jail for an unpaid debt to Ericsson, Mukesh paid it.
Jio and the data revolution
In September 2016 Reliance launched Jio, a 4G mobile network, with free calls and months of free data. It forced rivals to cut prices sharply and made mobile internet cheap for hundreds of millions of Indians. Within a few years Jio became India's largest mobile operator.
In 2020 Reliance sold stakes in Jio Platforms, its digital holding company, to investors including Facebook (now Meta) and Google. In October 2026 Jio Platforms listed on the National Stock Exchange in what Forbes called the largest IPO in India's history, raising about US$3.2 billion. Reliance kept a stake of roughly 66%.
Retail, media and sport
Under him Reliance also built Reliance Retail, now India's largest retailer by revenue, and expanded into media and entertainment. Through Reliance he owns the Mumbai Indians IPL team, bought in 2008 for US$111.9 million, and backed the founding of football's Indian Super League.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1981 | Joins Reliance; runs the Patalganga polyester plant |
| 1999 | Jamnagar refinery starts operating |
| 2002 | Becomes chairman after Dhirubhai Ambani's death |
| 2005 | Family settlement splits the group with Anil Ambani |
| 2008 | Reliance buys the Mumbai Indians IPL franchise |
| 2016 | Reliance Jio launches |
| 2023 | His three children join the Reliance board |
| 2026 | Jio Platforms lists on the NSE |
Net worth
Forbes put Mukesh Ambani's net worth at US$91.8 billion on 8 Nov 2026, ranking him 21st in the world. A surge in Reliance shares in early November 2026 made him Asia's richest person again, Forbes reported. His wealth comes mostly from the Ambani family's stake in Reliance Industries, which is about half the company.
Rich-list figures move every day with Reliance's share price, so treat any single number as a snapshot.
Family and succession
He married Nita Dalal, a schoolteacher and classical dancer, in 1985. Dhirubhai had seen her perform and suggested the match. Nita Ambani now chairs the Reliance Foundation and is closely involved with Mumbai Indians.
They have three children. Twins Akash and Isha were born on 23 Oct 1991, and Anant on 10 Apr 1995. All three joined the Reliance board in 2023. Akash leads the telecom business, Isha the retail business and Anant the new-energy business. Anant married Radhika Merchant in Mumbai on 12 Jul 2024 in one of the most widely covered weddings in the country's history.
| Relation | Name |
|---|---|
| Father | Dhirubhai Ambani (1932–2002), founder of Reliance |
| Mother | Kokilaben Ambani |
| Wife | Nita Ambani (m. 1985) |
| Children | Akash and Isha (b. 1991), Anant (b. 1995) |
| Brother | Anil Ambani |
Reliance today
Reliance is now a group of several large businesses under one listed parent. The table shows the main ones and who leads them.
| Business | What it does | Led by |
|---|---|---|
| Oil to chemicals | Jamnagar refining and petrochemicals | Mukesh Ambani |
| Jio Platforms | Mobile, broadband and digital services | Akash Ambani |
| Reliance Retail | Grocery, fashion, electronics and online shops | Isha Ambani |
| New Energy | Solar, batteries and green hydrogen at Jamnagar | Anant Ambani |
| Oil and gas | Exploration, including the KG-D6 gas field | Mukesh Ambani |
In 2021 he announced a move into clean energy, with factories for solar panels, batteries and electrolysers planned at a new complex in Jamnagar named after his father. He has said he wants Reliance to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2035.
Salary and pay
From 2008–09 to 2019–20 he capped his own pay at ₹15 crore a year, even as other executives' packages rose. From the 2020–21 financial year, after the Covid-19 outbreak, he chose to draw no salary at all, according to Reliance's annual reports; 2024–25 was the fifth year in a row. His income comes from dividends on the family's shareholding. In 2023 shareholders re-appointed him as chairman and managing director for five more years, to April 2029.
Philanthropy
Reliance's charity work runs through the Reliance Foundation, set up in 2010 and chaired by Nita Ambani. It funds rural development, education, sport and disaster relief, and runs the Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi rededicated in 2014. In Jamnagar, Anant Ambani runs Vantara, an animal rescue and rehabilitation centre that opened to wide attention in 2024.
Antilia
The family lives in Antilia, a 27-storey private building on Altamount Road in Mumbai. It has several floors of parking, a theatre and gardens, and it's often called one of the most expensive homes in the world. In February 2021 a car loaded with explosives was found parked near it, a case later investigated by the National Investigation Agency.
Criticism and controversies
His wealth and his company's reach have drawn criticism. Opposition politicians have accused him of being close to the government, which he and Reliance deny. Reliance has also faced regulatory action, including a SEBI order over trades in Reliance Petroleum shares in 2007.
Legacy
Where his father built Reliance from a trading desk, Mukesh Ambani turned it into India's most valuable company and changed daily life through cheap mobile data. For comparison with another Indian business dynasty, see our biography of Ratan Tata, who led the Tata Group through the same decades.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Mukesh Ambani?
Mukesh Ambani was born on 19 Apr 1957, so he is 69 years old as of November 2026.
What is Mukesh Ambani's net worth?
Forbes put it at US$91.8 billion on 8 Nov 2026, 21st in the world and first in Asia. It changes daily with Reliance's share price.
Who is Mukesh Ambani's wife?
Nita Ambani. They married in 1985, and she chairs the Reliance Foundation.
How many children does Mukesh Ambani have?
Three: the twins Akash and Isha, born in 1991, and Anant, born in 1995. All three sit on the Reliance board.
Where does Mukesh Ambani live?
In Antilia, a 27-storey private residence on Altamount Road in Mumbai.
Is Mukesh Ambani the son of Dhirubhai Ambani?
Yes. He's the elder son of Dhirubhai Ambani, who founded Reliance, and Kokilaben Ambani.
Sources
- Forbes: Mukesh Ambani profile and real-time net worth
- Forbes Australia: Ambani becomes Asia's richest person, 3 Nov 2026
- Business Standard (PTI): Ambani draws no salary for fifth year, Aug 2025
- Reliance Industries: board of directors
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Mukesh Ambani
- Wikipedia: Mukesh Ambani (cross-checked dates)
