‘The child is the father of the man’ is an old proverb that fits well on the Ambani siblings Isha and Akash, both of whom are now leading the transformation at Reliance group, the $300 billion conglomerate. Among the two, Isha, age 30, is fast emerging as the face of the $100 billion Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL) that offers everything from consumer electronics, food and grocery to fashion, jewelry and footwear.
A graduate in business administration from Stanford Business School, Isha has been the driving force behind RRVL’s recent acquisitions with an idea to own top brands in every segment that the group’s retail arm operates. Isha oversees strategy development and implementation for all marketing teams, including digital, advertising, communications and creative for RRVL.
All of the recent acquisitions by RRVL including Hamleys, the iconic British toys retailer, online lingerie retailer Zivame, Urban Ladder, Netmeds and Just Dial had Isha’s stamp, Reliance insiders say. RRVL has signed exclusive partnerships with over 45 international brands. Isha, a fashionista herself, is also credited for the launch of the fashion portal Ajio. As per Isha’s own admission she considers movie star Priyanka Chopra as one of her closest friends and an elder sister.
Isha formally joined Reliance Jio and Reliance Retail in 2014. Since then the retail business has become the second fastest-growing retailer in the world, according to the 2022 Deloitte report. She also helps Akash with the branding and consumer related decisions at Reliance Jio. Mukesh Ambani has often said that Isha was the inspiration behind the launch of Jio, since she seeded the idea of fast-paced internet in India in 2011 after staying abroad for studies for a few years.