Newcastle University in the UK has named Anant Ambani, the 31-year-old son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, a Professor of Practice in Sustainability. The appointment has drawn criticism from academics and conservationists in India and Britain, who question whether the heir to one of the world’s largest oil-refining businesses should hold a sustainability title.
What the university announced
The university announced the honour on 14 September at a ceremony in King’s Hall in its Armstrong Building. Chancellor Imtiaz Dharker presided, and Ambani’s wife, Radhika Merchant Ambani, attended. In its press release, the university said the title recognises his “significant contributions to advancing a more sustainable future”. It cited his work in conservation, biodiversity protection, animal welfare and environmental stewardship through Vantara, the wildlife rescue centre he founded. It also cited his role as executive director at Reliance, where he leads the group’s shift towards green energy, including its target of net-zero carbon by 2035.
“Conservation and sustainability must become the next great movement – one that transcends nations, generations and differences,” Ambani said at the ceremony.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Day said: “We are facing a global challenge, and it is critical that we act with urgency to reverse biodiversity decline.” The university has said Vantara’s work “closely aligns” with its own research on global conservation and biodiversity targets.
The backlash
The criticism began after The Guardian reported the appointment on 24 September. Historian and environmental writer Ramachandra Guha called it “a rather mystifying choice”. He said he could name “at least 50, perhaps 100” Indian environmental practitioners more deserving of the title and asked whether the university had done proper due diligence, IBTimes UK reported.
Professor Lyla Mehta of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex said universities “are supposed to be places that question power and hold corporations to account, not give them academic legitimacy”. Wildlife conservationist Prerna Singh Bindra questioned how Vantara counted as conservation: “It’s a captive facility, a zoo,” she said.
Some criticism came from inside the university. Professor Matt Perry, who chairs Newcastle’s branch of the University and College Union, said staff objected to the appointment on environmental grounds.
Background: what is Vantara?
Vantara is a 3,500-acre wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat’s Jamnagar district, next to Reliance’s refinery complex. It says it houses around 150,000 animals, many of them brought from abroad, though that figure has not been independently audited. Its elephant care work won India’s Prani Mitra national award, and in April it launched Vantara University, which focuses on wildlife conservation and veterinary science.
The centre has also faced scrutiny. A 2025 investigation by Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung raised questions about animals that reached Vantara through countries with opaque wildlife-trade networks. A review under CITES, the international treaty that regulates trade in endangered species, raised concerns about import paperwork, reportedly finding that some permits were probably forged. Proposals to restrict such imports later met objections from India, the United States and Japan.
In India, a special investigation team appointed by the Supreme Court looked into the allegations. The court later found no violation of law and said the smuggling and laundering claims had no basis. Vantara has consistently denied wrongdoing and says its mission is the “rescue, rehabilitation and care of animals”. It has since announced a reset of its procedures, including bringing in a former CITES head to oversee the facility and pausing wildlife imports.
Why it matters
A “professor of practice” is usually an honorary or part-time title that universities give to people with experience outside academia. It is not a research post won through academic competition. Critics say this is exactly the concern: as public funding for British universities shrinks, honours for wealthy business figures can look like a trade of academic prestige for corporate reputation. Supporters say universities need industry partners to meet climate goals. They point to Reliance’s investments in solar, green hydrogen and battery manufacturing, which make it one of India’s largest clean-energy investors even as fossil fuels still produce most of its earnings.
Newcastle University has not said whether the title is paid, and has not said whether Reliance or the Ambani family has any funding ties to the university.
Sources: Newcastle University press office; The Guardian; IBTimes UK; LBC; VnExpress International.
Featured image: Anant Ambani. Photo by XFLRG6174, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
