RELIANCE FOUNDER AMBANI

FOUNDERS

Sh. Dhirubhai Ambani About Sh. Dhirubhai Ambani   Few men in history have made as dramatic a contribution to their country’s economic fortunes as did the founder of Reliance, Sh. Dhirubhai H Ambani. Fewer still have left behind a legacy that is more enduring and timeless.                        As with all great pioneers, there is more than one unique way of describing the true genius of Dhirubhai: The corporate visionary, the unmatched strategist, the proud patriot, the leader of men, the architect of India’s capital markets, the champion of shareholder interest.                        But the role Dhirubhai cherished most was perhaps that of India’s greatest wealth creator. In one lifetime, he built, starting from the proverbial scratch, India’s largest private sector enterprise.                        When Dhirubhai embarked on his first business venture, he had a seed capital of barely US$ 300 (around Rs 14,000). Over the next three and a half decades, he converted this fledgling enterprise into a Rs 60,000 crore colossus—an achievement which earned Reliance a place on the global Fortune 500 list, the first ever Indian private company to do so.                         Dhirubhai is widely regarded as the father of India’s capital markets. In 1977, when Reliance Textile Industries Limited first went public, the Indian stock market was a place patronised by a small club of elite investors which dabbled in a handful of stocks.                         Undaunted, Dhirubhai managed to convince a large number of first-time retail investors to participate in the unfolding Reliance story and put their hard-earned money in the Reliance Textile IPO, promising them, in exchange for their trust, substantial return on their investments. It was to be the start of one of great stories of mutual respect and reciprocal gain in the Indian markets.                        Under Dhirubhai’s extraordinary vision and leadership, Reliance scripted one of the greatest growth stories in corporate history anywhere in the world, and went on to become India’s largest private sector enterprise.                        Through out this amazing journey, Dhirubhai always kept the interests of the ordinary shareholder uppermost in mind, in the process making millionaires out of many of the initial investors in the Reliance stock, and creating one of the world’s largest shareholder families.  Sh. Dhirubhai's Dream Think big. Think different. Think ahead                 Dhirubhai preached — and personally practiced — one mantra throughout his life: Dream with conviction.                 He built the Reliance empire from scratch and, in a short span of 25 years, catapulted it to become on of the top Fortune 500 corporations of the world — an achievement unparalleled in history.                 He was deeply rooted in traditional Indian values, yet Dhirubhai possessed the outlook of a modern man — truly a person of the 21st century. His corporate philosophy was short, simple and incredibly effective: “Think big. Think different. Think fast. Think ahead. Aim for the best.” This clearly reflected in his passion for mega-sized projects, as well as his fascination for cutting–edge technology and desire to always achieve the highest possible productivity. At Reliance, Dhirubhai was a pillar of inspiration for one and all. By practicing what he preached, he inspired and encouraged everyone to surpass the best in the world.                 Dhirubhai fully realised that true empowerment of the people is possible only through education. Being an effective communicator, he continued to inspire, guide, educate and motivate everyone through his communications. He was a firm believer in the power of information and communication, and how it can be utilised and turned to the advantage of one and all, by making time and distance irrelevant.                  He would always say that if a telephone call could be made cheaper than a postcard, it would transform every home, empower every Indian, remove every obstacle to opportunity and growth, and tear apart every barrier that divides Indian society. He was convinced that infocomm could energise enterprises, drive governance, and render learning an interesting experience, apart from making life exciting.                 True to his conviction, Reliance Communications is committed to transform Dhirubhai’s dream into a reality.    Sh. Dhirubhai Ambani's Stamp                           On 28th December 2002, Ministry of Communications, Government of India released a commemorative postage stamp on industrialist and founder of the Reliance Group of Industries, Shri Dhirubhai Ambani in Mumbai. Issued by the Department of Posts, the stamp is in the denomination of Rs. 5.  CHAIRMAN'S PROFILE:  Anil D. Ambani                            Regarded as one of the foremost corporate leaders of contemporary India, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani is the Chairman of all the listed Group companies — Reliance Communications, Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy and Reliance Natural Resources Ltd.                          He is also Chairman of the Board of Governors of Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat.                          Till recently, he also held the post of Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), India’s largest private sector enterprise.                            Anil D Ambani joined Reliance in 1983 as Co-Chief Executive Officer, and was centrally involved in every aspect of the company’s management over the next 22 years.                           He is credited with having pioneered a number of path-breaking financial innovations in the Indian capital markets. He spearheaded the country’s first forays into the overseas capital markets with international public offerings of global depositary receipts, convertibles and bonds. Starting in 1991, he directed Reliance Industries in its efforts to raise over US$ 2 billion. He also steered the 100-year Yankee bond issue for the company in January 1997. He is a member of: Wharton Board of Overseers, The Wharton School, USA Central Advisory Committee, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad Board of Governors Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur In June 2004, he was elected for a six-year term as an independent member of the Rajya Sabha, Upper House of India’s Parliament a position he chose to resign voluntarily on March 25, 2006. Awards and Achievements: Conferred the ‘CEO of the Year 2004’ in the Platts Global Energy Awards Rated as one of ‘India’s Most Admired CEOs’ for the sixth consecutive year in the Business Barons – TNS Mode opinion poll, 2004 Conferred ‘The Entrepreneur of the Decade Award’ by the Bombay Management Association, October 2002 Awarded the First Wharton Indian Alumni Award by the Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) in recognition of his contribution to the establishment of Reliance as a global leader in many of its business areas, December 2001 Selected by Asiaweek magazine for its list of ‘Leaders of the Millennium in Business and Finance’ and was introduced as the only ‘new hero’ in Business and Finance from India, June 1999