Nita Ambani is an Indian businesswoman, philanthropist and classical dancer. She is the wife of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, the founder-chairperson of Reliance Foundation, co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Mumbai Indians, and in 2016 became the first Indian woman member of the International Olympic Committee.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Nita Mukesh Ambani (née Dalal) |
| Born | November 1963 (some sources give 1964), Mumbai |
| Education | B.Com., Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics |
| Occupation | Philanthropist, educator, businesswoman |
| Known for | Founder-chairperson, Reliance Foundation; IOC member |
| Spouse | Mukesh Ambani (m. 1985) |
| Children | Akash, Isha, Anant |
| Parents | Purnima and Ravindrabhai Dalal |
Early Life and Education
She was born Nita Dalal in Mumbai to Purnima and Ravindrabhai Dalal. She trained in the classical dance form Bharatanatyam from childhood and graduated in commerce from Narsee Monjee College. She married Mukesh Ambani in 1985.
Career
Education
Nita Ambani founded the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai and remains its chairperson. In 1997 she also led the planning of the residential township at the Jamnagar refinery complex in Gujarat.
Reliance Foundation
She founded Reliance Foundation in 2010 and has been its chairperson since. The foundation works in education, health care, rural transformation, sport and culture.
Reliance board
She was elected to the board of Reliance Industries in 2014. In August 2023 she stepped down as a director and continues to attend board meetings as a permanent invitee, a move announced as part of the group’s succession plan, when her three children joined the board.
Sport
She is co-owner of the Mumbai Indians, who have won the IPL title in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. In 2016 she became the first Indian woman member of the International Olympic Committee.
Culture
The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, in the Jio World Centre in Mumbai, opened in March 2023 with a multi-day inaugural festival of theatre, music, dance and art.
Personal Life
She and Mukesh Ambani have three children, Akash, Isha and Anant, all of whom joined the Reliance board in 2023. Her husband’s career is covered in Mukesh Ambani’s biography. The family lives at Antilia in Mumbai.
Featured image: The Grand Theatre of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai, March 2023 (file photo; Nita Ambani is not pictured). Photo by Fuzheado, licensed under CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
