Mukesh Ambani is the world’s wealthiest oil baron (Image: Getty)
The world’s richest oil baron had more humble beginnings before turning his father’s textile factory into an oil, energy and telecom empire now worth more than $95 billion.
Mukesh Ambani is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, a business originally set up by Amabani’s late father, a yarn trader, in 1966 as a small textile manufacturer.
Now, nearly 60 years later, the sprawling India-headquartered conglomerate owns interests in petrochemicals, refining, oil and a range of other interests in several different sectors from broadband to media.
He began amassing significant wealth at the age of 24 when Reliance was contracted for the construction of Patalganga petrochemical plant.
He continued his investment in the oil refinery world in 2010 when he directed and led the creation of the world’s largest grassroots petroleum refinery in Jamnagar, India, which could produce 660,000 barrels per day.
Mukesh Ambani’s empire makes him the wealthiest man in India (Image: Getty)
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Despite his history in “black gold”, Ambani is reported to have expanded Reliance into green energy. Over the next 10-15 years the company will invest in renewable energy and build a new complex next to its refinery.
Despite its alleged green efforts, Reliance owns KG D6 Block, an offshore natural gas field development off India’s east coast. The block has supplied nearly 2.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 33 million barrels of crude oil, making it India’s largest deposit of natural gas and the largest such discovery in the world when it was found in 2002.
Alongside its own oil and gas refineries Reliance also has deals with BP and the Russian Rosneft valued at $13 billion a year.
Through Reliance, Ambani has dabbled in sports ownership, owning IPL cricket franchise Mumbai Indians, and is the founder of the Indian Super League, a football league in India.
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All that wealth has led him to build the world’s most expensive home, reportedly worth an eye-watering £3.6 billion. The 400,000-square-foot palace is towering 27 storeys over downtown Mumbai and includes an ice cream parlour, a six-floor 160-space garage and a snow room that spits out snowflakes from its icy walls.
Now diversified across oil, tech and media, Forbes reported the mogul as saying: “Anything and everything that can go digital is going digital. India cannot afford to be left behind.”
His family now includes his three children and operates in some of the highest circles. Last year his son Anant’s pre-wedding gala was held over three days in Jamnagar, Gujarat and had 1,600 guests including some notable faces such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Ivanka Trump.