ambani-a short bio
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Dhirubhai H. Ambani, the Founder Chairman of Reliance Group, is credited to have brought
about the equity cult in India in the late seventies. He is regarded as an icon for enterprise in
India. A man far ahead of his times, he epitomized the dauntless entrepreneurial spirit 'dare to
dream and learn to excel'. He dared to dream on a scale unimaginable before in Indian
industry.
The life journey of the most enterprising Indian entrepreneur is reminiscent of the rags to
riches story. He is remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a
truly global corporate group. His life and achievements prove that backed by confidence,
courage and conviction, man can achieve the impossible.
Dhirubhai Ambani alias Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani was born on December 28, 1932, at
Chorwad, Gujarat, into a Modh family. His father was a school teacher. Dhirubhai Ambani
started his entrepreneurial career by selling bhajias to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the
weekends. He moved to Aden, Yemen after completing his matriculation at the age of 16. He
worked there as a gas-station attendant, and as a clerk in an oil company. He returned to India
in 1958 with Rs 50,000 and set up a textile trading company.
He started his first textile mill at Naroda, near Ahmedabad in 1966 and started the brand
'Vimal'. He built India's largest private sector company, Reliance India Limited, from a
scratch. Over time he diversified his business into a core specialization in petrochemicals
with additional interests in telecommunications, information technology, energy, power,
retail, textiles, infrastructure services, capital markets, and logistics.
Dhirubhai Ambani is credited with revolutionizing capital markets in India by attracting
millions of retail investors in a market till then dominated by financial institutions. From
nothing, he generated billions of rupees in wealth for those who put their trust in his
companies. Due to his efforts and with the help of innovative instruments like the convertible
debenture, Reliance quickly became a favorite of the stock market in the 1980s. In 1992,
Reliance became the first Indian company to raise money in global markets. Reliance also
became the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list.
From a humble beginning, he went on to create an enviable business empire within a span of
just 25 years. Under Dhirubhai Ambani's outstanding visionary leadership, the Reliance
Group emerged as the largest business conglomerate in India, and carved out a distinct place
for itself in the global pantheon of corporate giants. The Group's track record of consistent
growth is unparalleled in Indian industry and perhaps internationally too. Today, the Group's
turnover represents nearly 3 per cent of India's GDP. The Reliance Group is a livingtestimony to Dhirubhai's indomitable will, single-minded dedication and an unrelenting
commitment to his goals.
Besides being firmly rooted in traditional Indian values, Dhirubhai was also the
quintessentially modern man, the man of the new millennium. This was clearly reflected in
his passion for mega-sized projects, the most advanced technology and the highest level of
productivity. The corporate philosophy he followed was short, simple and succinct: "Think
big. Think differently. Think fast. Think ahead. Aim for the best". He inspired the Reliance
team to do better than the bestnot only in India but in the world.
The number of revolutionary precedents set by Shri Dhirubhai Ambani is legion. His uniquevision redefined the potential of the Indian corporate sector as he challenged conventional
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wisdom in several areas. He was probably the first Indian businessman to recognize the
strategic significance of investors, discover the vast untapped potential of the capital markets
and channelize the same for the growth and development of industry. He was supremely
confident that finance would never be a constraint in executing his projects because, as he
said proudly, Indian investors would provide him with the necessary resources. And the
investors never let him down.
Dhirubhai Ambani succeeded in creating an investor base of historic proportions for the
Reliance Group. He was able to create an unbreakable bond of implicit trust between him and
his shareholders, who placed their savings in his care. He worked with unflinching sincerity
to get them the best returns. Thereby, he brought happiness and prosperity into the homes of
millions of investors. For him, his people were his most important asset. He scouted around
for the best and most talented professionals, nurtured them and continuously propelled them
to aim for still higher goals.
Dhirubhai visualized the growth of Reliance as an integral part of his grand vision for India.
He was convinced that India could become an economic superpower within a short period oftime and wanted Reliance to play an important role in realizing this goal. His actions were
inspiration for others. Whatever he did became a standard for others to follow. His sterling
leadership qualities, remarkable foresight, uncompromising pursuit of excellence, humility,
prodigious capacity to motivate and trust people will continue to guide and inspire future
generations.
Truly, men like Dhirubhai Ambani are rare. They come gifted with the power and the vision
to change the destiny of nations, to alter the course of corporate history. They are the empire
builders, the stuff that legends are made of. Some of his notable quotes are: "Our dreams
have to be bigger. Our ambitions higher. Our commitment deeper. And our efforts greater.
This is my dream for Reliance and for India."; "You do not require an invitation to make
profits."; "Meeting the deadlines is not good enough, beating the deadlines is my
expectation."; and "Don't give up, courage is my conviction."
Dhirubhai Ambani won many words and accolades during his life. He was named the Indian
Entrepreneur of the 20th Century by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI). In June 1998, he was awarded the Dean's Medal by The Wharton School,
University of Pennsylvania, for setting an outstanding example of leadership. A poll
conducted by The Times of India in 2000 voted him "greatest creator of wealth in the
century".
In November 2000, he was conferred the 'Man of the Century' award by Chemtech
Foundation and Chemical Engineering World for his contribution to the growth and
development of the chemical industry in India. He was lauded for his dynamic, pioneering
and innovative genius. His success story fired the imagination of the younger generation of
Indian entrepreneurs, business leaders and progressive companies. He was an icon for them, a
role model to be emulated.
Dhirubhai Ambani died on July 6, 2002 at Mumbai after suffering a brain stroke. His legacy
is being carried on by his sons Mukesh and Anil.
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