This man was Mukesh Ambani’s first boss, his sons are highest-paid employees of Reliance, Dhirubhai Ambani was his…

Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, best known as Dhirubhai Ambani, was the founder of Reliance Industries. He went from being an errand boy to one of the best businessmen in the world. Dhirubhai Ambani’s story is truly one of rags to riches and inspires many people today. Dhirubhai was not only a businessman; he was recognized for his kindness and humility. Dhirubhai and his wife, Kokilaben Ambani, remained down-to-earth and true to their roots after being incredibly successful.

Kokilaben and Dhirubhai Ambani have four children: Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Deepti Salgaocar, and Neena Kothari. While many people recognize these names as household names, there are members of the Ambani family who choose to keep a low profile and stay away from the public eye and spotlight. One such member is Dhirubhai Ambani’s elder sister, Trilochna Ben.

Dhirubhai Ambani was born to Hirachand Gordhanbhai Ambani, who was a schoolteacher, and Jamnaben Ambani. He was born in the small town of Chorwad, in the state of Gujarat, with four siblings — a sister, Trilochna Ben, and brothers Ramaniklal, Jasuben, and Natubhai. While Dhirubhai Ambani gained fame as the founder of Reliance Industries, the family successfully supported him while remaining out of the limelight.

His elder sister, Trilochna Ben, has been completely discreet; however, her family has contributed to Reliance as well. When Rasiklal Meswani was alive, he was one of the directors of Reliance Industries, and in honour of his legacy, his sons — Nikhil R. Meswani and Hital R. Meswani — are now the executive directors at Reliance Industries. Therefore, the family is intimately connected to the company Dhirubhai built.

Nikhil R. Meswani, son of Rasiklal Meswani, one of the Founder Directors of the Company, is primarily responsible for the petrochemicals division and has made major contributions towards Reliance becoming a global leader in petrochemicals. Between 1997 and 2005, he handled the refinery business of the Company. In addition, he continues to shoulder several other corporate responsibilities, such as Corporate Affairs and Group Taxation.

Hital R. Meswani is on the Board of the Company as Whole-time Director, designated as Executive Director, since August 4, 1995. His overall responsibility spans the Petroleum Refining and Marketing Business, Petrochemicals Manufacturing, and several corporate functions of the company, including Human Resources Management, Information Technology, Research & Technology, and Capital Projects Execution.

Rasiklal Meswani’s elder son, Nikhil R. Meswani, came to Reliance Industries in 1986 and by July 1988, was appointed to the board as an Executive Director. Nikhil played the role of leading Reliance’s petrochemicals business and helped the company emerge as a global player in that space. He is also involved in the affairs of Reliance-owned Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket franchise Mumbai Indians, Indian Super League (ISL), and other sports initiatives of the Company.

Rasiklal’s younger son, Hital R. Meswani, is responsible for the entire operations of Reliance’s Petroleum Refining and Marketing business. He is on the Board of the Company as Whole-time Director, designated as Executive Director, since August 4, 1995. His overall responsibility spans the Petroleum Refining and Marketing Business, Petrochemicals Manufacturing, and several corporate functions of the company, including Human Resources Management, Information Technology, Research & Technology, and Capital Projects Execution.

Interestingly, very few people know that Rasiklal Meswani was Mukesh Ambani’s first boss. When Mukesh joined Reliance, he worked with Rasiklal. In an interview with Rediff long ago, Mukesh Ambani talked about his experience of leading a team under Rasiklal’s guidance, and lessons learnt in business in those early years of his career.

“This was in 1981. Rasikbhai Meswani, Nikhil and Hital’s father, was my first boss. The management style used to be very open. We could walk into each other’s cabin, join in a meeting or get involved in any discussion. My father encouraged it. But when I joined Reliance formally, he said you need to have a boss and I was put under Rasikbhai’s charge. He was running our polyester business, which consisted of importing polyester fibre, texturising it and selling it to textile mills. It was a new business compared to our own textile mill at Naroda (near Ahmedabad) that brought in almost 60%-70% of the profits,” Mukesh Ambani was quoted as saying by Rediff.

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