Mukesh Ambani
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Contents |
A profile
An industrialist
THE ACE OF SPADES because his Midas touch has ensured that his companies keep growing at an exponential rate in spite of a tough business environment. His net worth of $23.6 billion (Rs.1.4 lakh crore) is almost 30 per cent more than that of his nearest rival.
He is India's richest man for eight consecutive years and plans to invest an additional $25 billion (Rs.1.5 lakh crore) in his businesses over the next two years and sits on a pile of cash of Rs.83,000 crore.
He entered the media market with a big bang, engineering a takeover of Network18 group in 2014, and now plans to expand his media empire to emerge as one of India's information and thought leaders.
His expansion into new arenas includes the fledgling Reliance Jio Infocomm, causing a stir in the telecom landscape. The company paid Rs.11,000 crore in spectrum auctions in 2014 to get airwaves in 14 circles, accounting for 70 per cent of the industry's revenues.
Epic ties
He turned venture capitalist in 2013, along with Mahindra & Mahindra boss Anand Mahindra, to back a soon-to-be-launched genre-specific entertainment channel, Epic TV, in his personal capacity. Having made peace with brother Anil Ambani, is stitching together infrastructure-sharing ties with Reliance Communications and Sunil Mittal's Bharti Airtel.
Power show
He got PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai in October, 2014, during his first visit to the city after the BJP swept the state assembly polls. It included a select gathering of 250 invitees, including tycoons, film stars, cricketers and political honchos.
Wild at heart
Has a hidden passion for wildlife and often takes breaks in sanctuaries such as the Kruger National Park in South Africa, Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur and Bandhavgarh National Park in Umaria, Madhya Pradesh.
Acquisitions
As in 2018
1. Reliance Jio customers, 7 acquisitions made by Mukesh Ambani you should know about
For the last two years, if there’s one company that is made its intentions loud and clear in the data and telecom market then it has to be Reliance Jio. While the Mukesh Ambani-led billion-dollar company has created a stir with its aggressive pricing and offers, on the side lines it has been acquiring companies or stake in companies with interests in data, entertainment and content. Here we list out some of the biggest acquisitions Reliance Industries has made keeping in mind its telecom, data and content business:
2. 66% stake in DEN for Rs 2,290 crore: For Jio GigaFiber
In its most recent acquisition, Reliance Industries picked up the majority stake in this company to bolster its Jio GigaFiber’s operations.
3. 51.3% stake in Hathway for Rs 2,940 crore: For Jio GigaFiber
Like DEN, Hathway too will help the company to reach out to a wider audience for its Jio GigaFiber, which was launched.
4. 25% stake in Balaji Telefilms for Rs 413 crore: For content creation and JioCinema, JioTV
Keeping in mind its properties like JioTV and JioCinema, the company picked up stake in this leading production house. Balaji produces films, TV shows and also has an OTT content platform called ALT Balaji.
5. Radisys for Rs 510 crore: For IoT and 5G services
For its IoT (Internet of Things) and 5G operations, Reliance Industries bought some stake in this US-based firm.
6. Acquired 73% stake in Embibe: For online education
Embibe is an AI-based education platform that uses data analytics for personalised learning to help students. Reliance bought a stake in the company earlier this year.
7. Acquired Saavn for Rs 670 crore: For online music streaming
To make its presence felt in the online music streaming business, Saavn was one of the first and biggest acquisition made by Reliance Jio.
8. 16% stake in KaiOS for Rs 46 crore: For JioPhone
KaiOS is the operating system on which JioPhone and other feature phones run. Soon after the launch of JioPhone, Reliance picked up a stake in this company.
Brother Anil
Mukesh gives Anil Rs 453 crore, saves him from jail
Mukesh saves Anil from jail, clears his dues to Ericsson, March 18, 2019: The Times of India
Bailout Just Two Days Before End Of SC Deadline
Almost a decade and a half after a bitter separation, Mukesh Ambani on Monday stepped in to save younger brother Anil from prison by helping him clear the Rs 453 crore Reliance Communications owed Ericsson. The Supreme Court had on February 20 said failure to pay the Swedish telecom major its dues within four weeks would land Anil, who’s chairman of the beleaguered RCom, in jail for three months.
While the divergence in fortunes of the two brothers since the split has been evident for many years now, it was underlined in the starkest possible terms yet by Anil’s statement saying, “My sincere and heartfelt thanks to my respected elder brother, Mukesh, and Nita, for standing by me during these trying times, and demonstrating the importance of staying true to our strong family values by extending this timely support. I and my family are grateful we have moved beyond the past, and are deeply touched with this gesture.”
It also represents a significant milestone in the dramatic journey since Dhirubhai Ambani’s death in 2002 – of rancour and rift, a division in the Reliance empire, and estrangement, followed in the last few years by a thaw in relations and a degree of rapprochement, especially during the two recent weddings of Mukesh and Nita Ambani’s daughter Isha and son Akash.
There have been reports through the years of Dhirubhai’s wife Kokilaben’s keenness that the brothers patch up and that Mukesh extend Anil a helping hand. Indeed, the December 28, 2017, deal – on Dhirubhai’s 85th birth anniversary – under which Mukesh’s Jio was to buy about Rs 23,000 crore of debt-laden RCom’s infrastructure assets (including spectrum and towers) was widely seen as a form of bailout. But the deal ran into a number of hurdles, including objections from DoT, which RCom cited for its failure to pay Ericsson for its services.
Mukesh’s bailout of Anil said to be in nature of an outright gift
With the SC holding three group companies in contempt and threatening Anil with jail, Mukesh threw him a lifeline just two days ahead of deadline. Asked if the money was in the form of a loan or an outright gift, or compensation for the deal falling through, a person in the Anil Ambani Group said, “Outright,” before adding, “Mukesh and Nita have stepped up to the plate big time.”
Significance is being read into Anil’s mention of Nita Ambani in his statement, and is thought to be an acknowledgement that such a bailout would not have been possible without her blessings.
On Monday, Jio and RCom officially terminated the various agreements they had signed for the sale of telecom assets.
An RCom spokesman said, “The requisite payment of Rs 550 crore and interest thereon to Ericsson has been completed today in compliance of the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.” The group had earlier deposited over Rs 100 crore; Monday’s payment brings the curtain down on its 18-month-old legal battle with Ericsson.
"My sincere and heartfelt thanks to my respected elder brother, Mukesh, and Nita, for standing by me during these trying times...I and my family are grateful we have moved beyond the past, and are deeply touched with this gesture
Children
2014: Nita, Akash and Isha join Reliance boards
Mukesh Ambani's kids join Reliance boards
The Times of India Piyush Pandey, TNN | Oct 12, 2014
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani's twins, son Akash and daughter Isha, were in Oct 2014 inducted into the boards of Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio Infocomm as directors at a board meeting of the two firms. Both companies worth over Rs 75,000 crore are almost fully owned by RIL.
Both firms valued over Rs 75,000 crores are seen as the next big revenue drivers for RIL, as its revenues from its upstream business have fallen and its entry into developing SEZs has failed to take off. RIL still drives most of its revenues from its core refinery and petrochemicals businesses.
Mukesh Ambani's wife, Nita Ambani, was inducted into RIL's board earlier in 2014.
Isha graduated from Yale with double majors in psychology and South Asian Studies. She was a business analyst at McKinsey & Company's New York office before being inducted in RIL group firms' board.
Akash graduated from Brown University with a major in economics and is closely involved in the development of products and digital services applications in Reliance Jio.
Wife: Nita Ambani
She has emerged as India's most glamorous hostess. Her home, with its art exhibitions and lavish parties, is the new convention centre for the power elite. If you've not been invited to Antilia, you haven't made it yet. She is the face of the IPL's Mumbai Indians and her philanthrophic organisation Reliance Foundation is now working on healthcare, livelihoods and education in 5,500 villages and towns across India.
Qwerty woman
Not one to fancy new gadgets or touch phones, she uses an old Black-Berry with a keypad.
Soccer mom
On the field for 14 hours a day, she often works past midnight, speaking to Indian Soccer League club owners and supervising arrangements.
Salary and compensation
2018
June 9, 2018: The Times of India
India's richest Indian Mukesh Ambani has kept his annual salary from company Reliance Industries capped at Rs 15 crore for the tenth year in a row. "Compensation of Mukesh D Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, has been set at Rs 15 crore, reflecting his desire to continue to set a personal example for moderation in managerial compensation levels," says RIL in its latest annual report. Here's a look into how much Mukesh Ambani earned during the just concluded fiscal and more ...
1. Mukesh Ambani's salary at RIL capped at Rs 15 crore: 8 things to know
2. His remuneration for 2017-18 included Rs 4.49 crore as salary and allowances. This is slightly higher than Rs 4.16 crore he received during the previous 2016-17 fiscal.
3. Reliance Industries has also sought shareholders' approval to give Mukesh Ambani another five years as the chairman and managing director of the company.
4. Mukesh Ambani, 61, has been on the RIL board since the year 1977. He became chairman of the company after the death of his father Dhirubhai Ambani in July 2002.
5. As per RIL's annual report, he is entitled to receive bonus based on net profits and "expenses incurred for travelling, boarding and lodging, including for spouse and attendant(s) during business trips and provision of car(s) for use....
6. Similarly, “the expenses, as may be borne by the company for providing security to Mukesh Ambani and his family members shall not be considered as perquisites and accordingly, not to be included for the purpose of computation of the overall ceiling of remuneration.”
7. Mukesh Ambani's wife Nita Ambani, a non-executive director on the company's board, earned Rs 6 lakh as sitting fee during the fiscal year.
8. Mukesh Ambani is the single-largest shareholder of Reliance Industries. In this position, he reportedly earned Rs 14,553 crore from the dividend declared by the company.
9. Commission remain unchanged at Rs 9.53 crore while perquisites have declined to Rs 27 lakh from Rs 60 lakh. Retirement benefits during the fiscal stood at Rs 71 lakh. Retirement benefits are not included in the overall ceiling of remuneration.
See also
The Ambanis <> Anil Ambani <> Mukesh Ambani
