The story of India through Powerful leaders

By siliconindia   |   Saturday, 13 August 2011, 02:14 IST
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Ambanis: Dhirubhai Ambani was the Founder Chairman Reliance Group. He founded Reliance as a textile company and led its evolution as a global leader in the materials and energy value chain businesses. Dhirubhai Ambani was born in Gujarat, and is said to have started his entrepreneurial career by selling "pakora" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends. When he was 16 years old, he moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked with A. Besse & Co. for a salary of 300. Two years later, A. Besse & Co. became the distributors for Shell products, and Dhirubhai was promoted to manage the company's filling station at the port of Aden. Dhirubhai started the Reliance Commercial Corporation with a capital of 15, 000. The primary business of Reliance Commercial Corporation was to import polyester yarn and export spices. The first office of the Reliance Commercial Corporation was set up at the Narsinatha Street in Masjid Bunder. It was a 350 sq ft. room with a telephone, one table and three chairs. Initially, they had two assistants to help them with their business.
His two sons Anil Ambani and Mukesh Ambani are now the owners of Reliance Industries. Mukesh Ambani is the current chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries. His personal stake in Reliance Industries is 48 percent. Anil Ambani is the chairman of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. Ambani's net worth was estimated at about 10 lakh by late 1970s. Over a period of two decades, Ambani's millions of investors lifted them from being owners of a fledgling 20-30 lakh firm in the 1970's to a situation, according to last count; the total revenues were more than Rs 60,000 crore. Flagship Reliance industries is valued by the market at nearly 30,000 crore, while Reliance Petroleum commands a figure of nearly 17,000 crore. And the group's assets add up to over 52,000 crore. Today, the group has close to five million individual shareholders.