Expressing his views at the recently held World Economic Forum’s (WEF) India Summit (organized by the World Economic Forum and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Mumbai) Mukesh Ambani, chairman of India’s largest private sector company Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), stated that the UPA government needs to push policy reforms in critical areas of functioning and incorporate quick decision-making skills to sail through the current turmoil of economic inflation.

Mukesh Ambani’s views were further supported by leading industrialists and businesspersons of the country who vociferously called upon the government to initiate faster growth programs that, congruently, take account of equitable growth and social justice in mind.

At present, India is facing the brutal brunt of a highly volatile economy. Rising inflation and the unhurried approach of the government to control it have driven investors – domestic and foreign – and entrepreneurs away from the once-admirable prospect of flourishing India. While the government stands to face a eye of rebuke, industrialists and business leaders including Mukesh Ambani are optimistic that things can turn around, given the government tightens its loose ends. Ambani said, “We need to get a minimum agreement saying at the end of the day we are working for all the people and we have to have a pathway to move towards 21st century governance.” His views underlined the need to have in place a government that acts more as a facilitator rather than as the mover of economic growth.

RIL chairman also opined that at present, India is need of dynamic governance, composed of young leaders as “leadership reflects our demographics”. He emphasized that in spite of the grim situation the world is facing, India is at a stage where it is ready to take-off on the back of a young population and high-level of entrepreneurship.

While the government lay in acceptance of the facts of its unruly conduct, it underscored the need to include with the suggested policy reforms elements of sustainable and ecological growth.

reliance CMD Mukesh Ambani speaks at the World Economic Forum India Summit, Mumbai. He suggests that there is need of the change in government decision making policies and dynamic leadership is the need of the hour for the Sustainable growth of the Country.

Foreseeing the buoyant demand in the footwear sector, Pavers England, the UK-based footwear retailer with the help of Reliance Footprint is hoping to make its mark in the retail segment across Tier I cities through exclusive franchisee route and in Tier II towns with the local stores.
The $200-million turnover company, which set out its India presence through its network about two-and-a-half years ago, has invested $10 million thus far in the country, including $3 million for an R&D facility.
RIL owned Reliance Footprint has agreed to have operations in partnership with Pavers England with an aim of bridging gap for footwear that lays emphasis on comfort and styling.
Reliance footprint partnership is a boon for the UK footwear retailer as it has performed well in the Indian markets in spite of the economic slowdown. Reliance Footprint, with 29 stores across the country, achieved the break-even much earlier than the estimated time frame of five years mainly due to cautious steps taken by its management during the slowdown.

As a response to the slowdown, the company had also down-traded by offering its footwear products at lower price points. However, it now plans to reverse its pricing this year, now that the economy is almost stable. The company has plans to reach the Rs 3,000-crores turnover mark in three years, which would give it an all-India market share of eight per cent in the footwear industry and 20 per cent share of the organized sector.

Reliance Footprint is positioned in the mid-market segment, offering 45-50 brands in each of its stores. About 25 per cent of the offering is currently from international brands, which will also up depending on market trends. However, private labels contribute about 30 per cent of the business in terms of value and about 45 per cent in terms of volume. The company will keep a balanced ratio over the coming years.

Reliance Industries, CMD, Mukesh Ambani who heads the country’s most valued corporate entity, is planning to provide Rs 1000 crore seed capital to start a new venture that would invest in innovative business ideas, including in technology and healthcare segments.

Mukesh Ambani will probably make this investment of about USD 250 million in his individual capacity, sources close to the development said. The process has begun for stringing together a team of experts with domain knowledge of various sectors for managing this private equity venture. The top tier of people to be associated with this venture would include those with expertise in biotechnology, healthcare, energy and consultancy businesses, besides private equity and venture capital segments.

The new venture would mostly invest in start-ups working on innovative business ideas in sectors like biotechnology, healthcare, and information technology, new and renewable energy as also traditional energy sources, among others. However, it was unlikely that RIL group itself would get involved in the venture and it was most likely that the investment would be made by Mukesh Ambani in his individual capacity.

Reliance Industries Limited and Mukesh Ambani himself have often talked about need to invest in areas like business innovation, new technology and research and development. Earlier in 2007, RIL group firm Reliance Life Sciences had announced a partnership with MPM Capital, a US-based global investment management firm focused on healthcare business, to invest in Indian life science sector.

Subsequent to the deal, RIL invested nearly Rs 80 crores in a MPM BioVentures fund during the last fiscal 2009-10. The group has also created a Reliance Technology Group (RTG) by consolidating various research and technology functions of its businesses. It has also set up a Reliance Innovation Council that comprises of eminent scientist R A Mashelkar and Mukesh Ambani himself, among other global leaders, from fields of science and business.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), CMD, Mukesh Ambani on Friday offered prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala.

He flew in at Renigunta airport near here on a special flight, from where he reached the shrine by road, temple sources said.

After offering worship he left for Mumbai, they said. Ambani had donated Rs six crore earlier this year towards the Anandanilayam Anantha Swarnamayam project – the gold plating of the main sanctum of the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala.

An internationally admired businessman and philanthropist, Mukesh Ambani has always worked towards the well being and welfare of society and its communities. The man is a legend for India and the representative of Indian business all over the world. In spite of the heights he has scaled in his life, his vision remains clear and down to earth. In his own words,

“I think that our fundamental belief is that for us growth is a way of life and we have to grow at all times”.

His ideals, persona and charisma pay heed to his keen inclination towards social programs. Embraced with spiritual well being and an admirable humility, Mukesh Ambani has been attributed as the social entrepreneur in recent times, credited to the support he has shown to various social and community programs.

Mukesh Ambani, along with his wife Nita Ambani, has been consistently involved in welfare causes, especially through RIL’s philanthropy arm Reliance Foundation. With programs that encourage competent educational development to those that look to set up better medical system, Mukesh Ambani has kept himself associated with such programs under this umbrella.

From being a globally renowned industrialist and a business man to being a man of a golden heart unlike the common public opinion that is prevailing in the minds of many Indians, young and old alike, Mukesh Ambani truly represents the global Indian, who stands as business leader as well as a leader for human welfare.

Mukesh Ambani, CMD, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is enhancing its gasoline and diesel exports after restarting units which were shut for maintenance. Reliance Industries, owner of the world’s largest oil-refining complex, shipped about 195,000 metric tons of gasoline in the first week of November from its operations in Jamnagar, western India. That compares with about 250,000 tons in all of September. RIL also exported about 443,000 tons of diesels as of 8th November, compared with about 1.7 million tons in October and 1.2 million tons in September.

Reliance Industries restarted a crude-distillation unit and coker at one of its two Jamnagar refineries on 17th November after shutting them in the last week of October. A 100,000 barrel-a-day vacuum gasoil unit, which produces fuels such as gasoline and diesel, was offline for about three months from early May to September. Reliance exported 1.05 million tons of gasoline in July and August combined, while 2.01 million tons of diesels were shipped overseas in the same period. The two plants at Jamnagar are capable of processing 1.2 million barrels a day of crude, making enough fuel to meet about 75 percent of the U.K.’s consumption.

Reliance’s Jamnagar facility in India’s western state of Gujarat is centered on two refineries, a 580,000 barrel-a-day plant completed in December 2008 and an older 660,000 barrel-a- day unit. The plants can process a combined 1.24 million barrels of oil a day, or about 1.6 percent of global refining capacity. Reliance Industries imports of crude are also headed for an increase, with the company importing about 1.7 million tons in the first week of November, compared with nearly 3.7 million tons for all of October.

Reliance Trends, the fashion apparels and accessories specialty concept of Reliance Retail marks its comeback in Uttar Pradesh. India’s most populated state Uttar Pradesh welcomes back Reliance Retail as the Reliance Retail’s retail format opened its 33rd store in the state capital Lucknow. According to Arun Sirdeshmukh, the chief executive of Reliance Trends, with this store opening in Lucknow, the company is keen to make its presence felt in other cities of the state. This includes Kanpur, Agra, Meerut and Bareilly. They are also planning a second store in Lucknow in another six months. In the next six months six stores will be opened in UP. This is part of an overall aggressive expansion strategy, under which they will open 100 stores by 2011-12.

Close on the heels of Reliance Trends returning to UP, the company’s other standalone niche specialty stores including, Reliance Digital, Reliance Footprints and Reliance Music are following suit. While Reliance Footprints and Reliance Digital are expected to be launched in Lucknow early next year, talks for setting up Reliance Music stores are in the final stages. This is our third year of operations and already they are the largest chain of apparel stores in the country. The plan is to take this forward by launching 100 stores by 2011-12 and 155 stores by 2012-13. All the locations have been identified and work is going on at these sites at various stages, Sirdeshmukh informs.
Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries didn’t have smooth sailing in UP for a while. Three years ago, it was forced to close shop in the state as Reliance Industries had made a failed attempt to foray into the organized retail sector in India’s most populous state through Reliance Fresh.
Reliance Trends houses some of the best brands from various parts of the world including their collections. The store’s core principle is – ‘Fashion at great value’. It offers a mix of private brands across men’s, women’s and children’s categories. The collection offers high fashion, latest trends, cuts and styles and top-quality material backed by technology and innovation.
Reliance Trends seems unbeatable as they offer fashionable and trendy clothes at prices unmatched in the market. Reliance Trends is leaving no stone unturned in tapping the homogeneous mix of world famous brands and private brands and is all set to expand to 56 stores by the end of current financial year.

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries (RIL), India’s largest private sector company is the sole Indian firm to get a perfect score in a list of Asia’s best companies in terms of corporate social responsibility. In a report titled, ‘Ethical Asia’, by global research firm CLSA, Reliance Industries, Australian airline Cathay Pacific and Japanese conglomerate.

In the same report, two Indian companies — Tata Motors and ITC — have been named among the six companies that need to make a significant improvement in terms of CSR disclosure. The other companies in the league of laggards include China Merchants Bank, Dongfang Electric, SK Energy and Telkom Indonesia, CLSA said. The companies were identified from among the 50 largest entities in Asia, CLSA said.

Mukesh Ambani has built Reliance into the largest private sector enterprise in India and one of the world’s most successful companies in the fields of petrochemicals, petroleum, gas exploration and production.

A chemical engineering from University of Mumbai and MBA from Stanford University, Mukesh Ambani joined Reliance in 1981. And since then he initiated Reliance’s backward integration journey from textiles into polyester fibers and further into petrochemicals, petroleum refining and going up-stream into oil and gas exploration and production. Under Mukesh Ambani Reliance Industries has expanded into a massive global conglomerate offering everything from petro chemicals to fabrics. The company, Reliance Industries growth has been awe-inspiring.

Mukesh Ambani, CMD, Reliance Industries (RIL), India’s largest private sector company has been selected for the global leadership award by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) next week. BCIU will honor Mukesh Ambani for his demonstrated vision, creativity, and leadership that has earned him global praise and recognition. Mukesh Ambani’s views on his ambitions for Reliance are that his focus is on value generation and scaling up to a pick and not simply increasing size.

India’s richest billionaire and worlds fourth richest, the 53-year-old Mukesh Ambani would be presented with the Dwight D Eisenhower Global Award for leadership at a function in New York on November 17. In 2009, Mukesh Ambani was ranked fifth best performing CEO in the world by the Harvard Business Review and Reliance Industries, Ltd. was ranked the 15th most innovative company in the world in a survey conducted by Business Week and BCG.

BCIU was established at former US President Eisenhower’s initiative in 1955. US-based BCIU facilitates dialogue and alliances between world business and political leaders. BCIU’s president Peter Tichansky said, “We are pleased to recognize Ambani’s role in fuelling the largest newly industrialized countries through energy and technology and for the possibilities such growth creates for the global economy.” According to the statement, Mukesh Ambani has built Reliance into the largest private sector enterprise in India and one of the world’s most successful companies in the fields of petrochemicals, petroleum, gas exploration and production.

A chemical engineering from University of Mumbai and MBA from Stanford University, Mukesh Ambani joined Reliance in 1981. And since then he initiated Reliance’s backward integration journey from textiles into polyester fibers and further into petrochemicals, petroleum refining and going up-stream into oil and gas exploration and production. Under Mukesh Ambani Reliance Industries has expanded into a massive global conglomerate offering everything from petrochemicals to fabrics. The company, Reliance Industries growth has been awe-inspiring.

Reliance Industries Limited India’s largest private sector enterprise in partnership with IBN18 honored 24 Real Heroes of India. Real Heroes is a movement to acknowledge the unsung champions of the common man who strove tirelessly to promote the welfare of others. These Real Heroes were shortlisted by the editorial team of CNN-IBN, and they were spread across six categories including, Women Welfare, Social Welfare, Health and Disability, Youth, Education and Children & Sports. The ceremony was attended by luminaries including CMD of Reliance Group Industries, Mr. Mukesh Ambani, his wife, Mrs. Nita Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar, Aamir Khan, Yash Chopra and other eminent personalities applauded the heroes who through their extraordinary work have made a difference. Each of the Real Heroes was presented a trophy along with a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.
The Real Heroes all represent an inspirational story of selfless service, these range from a mechanic in Jharkhand who has set up an orphanage with his own meager resources to provide education, food and shelter to children who were left orphans due to polygamy or alcoholism to a person who has been fighting to preserve the environment over the past three decades. From a hockey coach who is on a mission to train players free of cost to an 80 year old gynecologist who is fighting to rehabilitate mentally challenged women and provide them vocational training so they can be financially independent, and many more who have dared to stand up for the betterment of the society were awarded as the Real Heroes. Speaking on the initiative on behalf of Reliance Industries, Nita Ambani, President of the Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation said, “I feel proud today – proud to be an Indian. I also feel proud of the ‘Indianness’ today. ‘Indianness’ that puts compassion, kindness and empathy before everything else. We salute the benevolence of these extraordinary people. They embody the purity of the human spirit.They may not have received the spotlight of publicity but their actions radiate the sunlight of generosity. Each of these stories is a font of inspiration. My Real Heroes friends you are our crusaders of hope. Thank you for this.”

Finally to conclude the sitting, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN18 Network added, “Each one of these real heroes has performed extraordinary deeds to promote the welfare of their fellow citizens and society as a whole. Their path wasn’t easy and they have battled tremendous odds ranging from personal tragedy to social opposition and financial constraints. Yet the flame to make a positive impact has continued to burn bright and they have truly been the instruments of change. I would like to thank all our distinguished guests for their presence here in support of the Real Heroes of our nation”.

Reliance Industries Limited India’s largest private sector enterprise in partnership with IBN18 honored 24 Real Heroes of India. Real Heroes is a movement to acknowledge the unsung champions of the common man who strove tirelessly to promote the welfare of others. These Real Heroes were shortlisted by the editorial team of CNN-IBN, and they were spread across six categories including, Women Welfare, Social Welfare, Health and Disability, Youth, Education and Children & Sports. The ceremony was attended by luminaries including CMD of Reliance Group Industries, Mr. Mukesh Ambani, his wife, Mrs. Nita Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar, Aamir Khan, Yash Chopra and other eminent personalities applauded the heroes who through their extraordinary work have made a difference. Each of the Real Heroes was presented a trophy along with a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.
The Real Heroes all represent an inspirational story of selfless service, these range from a mechanic in Jharkhand who has set up an orphanage with his own meager resources to provide education, food and shelter to children who were left orphans due to polygamy or alcoholism to a person who has been fighting to preserve the environment over the past three decades. From a hockey coach who is on a mission to train players free of cost to an 80 year old gynecologist who is fighting to rehabilitate mentally challenged women and provide them vocational training so they can be financially independent, and many more who have dared to stand up for the betterment of the society were awarded as the Real Heroes. Speaking on the initiative on behalf of Reliance Industries, Nita Ambani, President of the Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation said, “I feel proud today – proud to be an Indian. I also feel proud of the ‘Indianness’ today. ‘Indianness’ that puts compassion, kindness and empathy before everything else. We salute the benevolence of these extraordinary people. They embody the purity of the human spirit.They may not have received the spotlight of publicity but their actions radiate the sunlight of generosity. Each of these stories is a font of inspiration. My Real Heroes friends you are our crusaders of hope. Thank you for this.”

Finally to conclude the sitting, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN18 Network added, “Each one of these real heroes has performed extraordinary deeds to promote the welfare of their fellow citizens and society as a whole. Their path wasn’t easy and they have battled tremendous odds ranging from personal tragedy to social opposition and financial constraints. Yet the flame to make a positive impact has continued to burn bright and they have truly been the instruments of change. I would like to thank all our distinguished guests for their presence here in support of the Real Heroes of our nation”.