ONCE HER three children joined the board of Reliance Industries (RIL), Nita Ambani decided to step down as director in August last year, though she chose to continue as chairperson of Reliance Foundation, the CSR arm of RIL, which she founded in 2010. The foundation invested ₹1,271 crore in FY23, up from ₹1,186 crore in FY22, and has touched 69.5 million lives since its inception — 17.66 million in rural transformation, 22 million in sports, 0.65 million in education, 8.56 million in health and 20 million in disaster management.
It has also undertaken initiatives to support Farmer Producer Organisations. The foundation’s flagship Bharat India Jodo (BIJ) programme has worked on water interventions for the last 10 years. RIL operates 14 schools across India. Besides, Nita has also been instrumental in setting up the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai on the lines of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Apart from RIL-promoted Indian Super League and cricket team Mumbai Indians, Nita nurtures the dream of bringing the Olympics to India. She’s expected to present India’s case at the International Olympic Committee, where she’s a member. Nita is involved in crucial decision-making at RIL. She also has a vital role in finalising the succession plan at India’s largest conglomerate. — Nevin John