Looking back, Isha Ambani admits that her life couldn’t have panned out any other way. Given that in her household, only a thin line exists between profession and home, work is the singular most important verb in her vocabulary. It follows then that even at an early age, the young scion knew she could take charge only when she understood how to transform inheritance into impact. Here she spills the secrets of success and succession, and what it all means in the 21st century.
Priya Tanna: Was joining the family business part of the natural flow for you?
Isha Ambani: It was. After JB Petit-Ambani-Yale, I worked at McKinsey & Co, but always with the intent to come back. Growing up, we knew Reliance was creating changes that were big for our country. The India narrative was a strong theme for us while growing up. And coming to the office was not something that started for me at a certain time—I was always here. But it wasn’t an obligation or expectation, it was just something we were raised to want to do. I wanted to take my father’s legacy forward and realise his dreams.
PT: How do you handle business disagreements within the family?
IA: We are a family-owned business but that does not mean we are family-run. With my mother in the school, I work for her. Similarly, with my father at Reliance, I work for him. So it’s like any boss-and-subordinate relationship, but we always discuss everything in a healthy and open way. I definitely cannot be making any decision in isolation. We have to take calls in a responsible and data-driven way and we also have the management and boards to answer to. In a professionally-run ecosystem, there is no place for personal disagreements.
PT: From where does your family get this indefatigable passion and energy to work?
IA: I really don’t know. I think it’s just the pace of life I’ve seen and lived all my life. I don’t know if my parents have known another pace. To be honest, if anything, it has slowed down for them from what it used to be. Like in my growing-up years in Jamnagar, when it was still early days for Infocomm, when everything was being birthed… one can’t imagine the dedication and perseverance I have seen [in my parents]. In many ways, what you grow up seeing is what you become. We’ve seen that happiness comes from work.
PT: I remember you even taught children at Stanford once?
IA: I love kids. When I was at Stanford, I taught a class called Early Childhood Education to two-year-olds. The course required you to spend time in the school, teaching. I extended it because I enjoyed it so much. I think being able to mould their thinking, even to a certain level, was what I found fulfilling. They are changing every day, so no two days are the same. I also think it opened my eyes to the fact that as humans we have phenomenal potential, and there’s no reason to not hold on to that ability to keep learning.
PT: As a young businesswoman, what would you advise other young people with big ambitions who may not have an access to the means that you do. How can he/she make an impact?
IA: I think I’m too young to give other people advice, but I believe in the power of work and doing your best if you want to be entrepreneurial. I think everyone has a part. As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” So we all have a part, no matter where we come from or what resources we have. That’s the way I approach life—I think about the best I can do. Every single person has phenomenal ability but you have to believe in yourself first before others can believe in you. “Do your best and leave the rest” is also something that I have learned from Anand. He always quotes the Gita, and I can only quote Shakespeare.
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