One of the highlights of this year’s India Conference at Harvard was the fireside chat with Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Ambani, featured as the penultimate panel of the event on Feb. 16. Ambani, wife of Reliance Chairperson Mukesh Ambani, did not disappoint the thousand-strong audience that gathered at Harvard Business School.
Moderated by Nitin Nohria, who served as the dean of Harvard Business School from 2010 to 2020, the conversation was deeply personal and insightful. The session provided a rare glimpse into Ambani’s extraordinary journey — one shaped by a childhood rooted in strong values, a steadfast commitment to institution-building, and an enduring passion for sports and culture. Her influence has left an indelible mark on India and beyond.
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Ambani began by sharing an emotional anecdote about her 90-year-old mother’s joy at her invitation to Harvard — a dream that was once unattainable but had now come full circle. She recounted her childhood in Mumbai’s Bapu Vila, an ancestral home where she lived among 30 family members.
“We were 11 girls and one boy growing up together, and 62 years ago my parents told us that whatever the boys can do, the girls could do too. That has left a lasting impact on my life,” Ambani said. She spoke with warmth about the influences of her Gandhian grandmother and her courageous mother, along with the example set by her compassionate father, who instilled in her a lifelong commitment to service.
Every Sunday, under her father’s guidance, Ambani and her family engaged in seva — acts of service — including rescuing animals from slaughterhouses. This deeply ingrained sense of empathy and responsibility has remained a cornerstone of her philanthropic and leadership initiatives.
When asked about the accomplishments she holds closest to her heart, Ambani’s first response was unequivocal: raising compassionate and kind children. “I think I’ve raised kind, compassionate children who are doing some wonderful things,” she said, emphasizing that her impact extends beyond her own family to the 75,000 students who have graduated from the schools she has built.
Her second source of pride lies in institution-building. “I’ve truly enjoyed creating institutions that are timeless,” she said, citing the Dhirubhai Ambani International School, the Mumbai Indians cricket team, the Reliance Foundation Hospital, and the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre as examples.
The third initiative closest to her heart is “Swadesh,” a program dedicated to supporting India’s artisans. The initiative was born from a visit to Nathdwara, Rajasthan, where Ambani was struck by the plight of Pichwai artists who were abandoning their craft due to financial hardship.
“Swadesh is meant to spotlight our arts and artisans. India has more than 10 million artisans, and we are trying to market their products globally,” she said, announcing upcoming Swadesh stores in New York and London.
Building institutions of excellence
Nohria marveled at Ambani’s ability to create world-class institutions in record time. Whether it was transforming the barren lands of Bandra-Kurla Complex into the home of India’s top-ranked international school or building a premier sports franchise in Mumbai Indians, her formula remained consistent: passion and purpose.
“I think there’s magic in it. I have a clear vision and then go ahead and execute it,” Ambani stated. She recalled early skepticism about launching an IB curriculum in India but remained steadfast in her belief. “Institutions lead to more institutions, and leaders give birth to more leaders,” she said, celebrating the success of Dhirubhai Ambani International School, which is now ranked among the top 12 international schools worldwide.
Ambani’s deep dive into her journey with the Mumbai Indians showcased her evolution from a cricket enthusiast to a strategic leader in sports. “Cricket entered my life at the age of 44, when most sportspeople retire,” she quipped. She recounted how, in 2010, she introduced a Born to Win camp to instill a team-first mindset among players.
A defining moment in team camaraderie came when Mumbai Indians brought together Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds, two cricketers embroiled in the infamous Monkeygate controversy. “In our bonding session, they sat, cleared their differences, shook hands, and became friends. And not only did they play together, but we won our first championship that year,” Ambani recalled.
Her focus on nurturing young talent also set Mumbai Indians apart. She shared how she personally scouted Hardik and Krunal Pandya when they were struggling financially. “For three years, they had eaten nothing but Maggi noodles. But in them, I saw spirit, passion, and hunger,” she said. Today, Hardik Pandya is the captain of Mumbai Indians, and the franchise is celebrated as the “nursery of cricket” in India.
Ambani’s impact on sports extends beyond Mumbai Indians. As the first Indian woman to be elected to the International Olympic Committee in 2016, she played a pivotal role in getting cricket included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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“When I joined the IOC, I saw new sports like skateboarding and squash being introduced. I thought, why not cricket?” she said. She worked to change perceptions of cricket as a long-drawn game, highlighting the excitement of the T20 format. “Imagine what would happen if we added cricket to the Olympics. You’d have the backing of two billion people!”
Bringing the Olympics to India
Ambani’s next ambitious goal? Bringing the Olympic Games to India in 2036.
“India is set to be the third-largest economy in the world, and among the 10 largest economies, only India has not hosted the Olympics. That needs to change,” she asserted. Addressing concerns about financial sustainability, she emphasized India’s ability for frugal innovation and its plan to repurpose existing infrastructure to minimize costs.
“We will host the greenest Olympics ever. And for athlete housing, we will convert it into affordable housing post-Games,” she promised.
The 22nd India Conference at Harvard took place on February 15 and 16 at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School. The event drew nearly a thousand delegates and featured an impressive lineup of prominent speakers.
From big-name investors and tech leaders to successful entrepreneurs and social activists, the event has a diverse lineup of speakers, among them, revolutionary fashion designers, chefs, and chief economists, offering a wealth of knowledge and insight.
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Besides Ambani, other prominent speakers include Ashish Chauhan, CEO and managing director of the National Stock Exchange of India; fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee; and chef Suvir Saran.
The event also hosted Kirthiga Reddy, CEO of Verix; Pramath Raj Sinha, founding dean of the Indian School of Business and Ashoka University; and Ritesh Malik, founder of Innov8 as notable speakers.