Mukesh Ambani’s son continues the legacy, joins RIL

Continuing his family's legacy, busniess tycoon Mukesh Ambani's son Akash has joined Reliance Industries Ltd, starting at its telecom unit.

He's involved in finalising the go-to-market strategy of the ambitious 4G telecom venture. "He comes to office regularly and sits in review meetings with his father and Manoj Modi. He is also working closely with Reliance Jio Infocomm's Group President Sandip Das. The company doesn't want to talk about it because he is new to the business and learning the ropes," said one of those cited above.

Akash Ambani, 22, who pursued undergraduate studies at Brown University in the US, returned to India last year to intern in the family business.

People familiar with the inner workings of the company say Modi is one of Akash's key mentors. Modi, was Mukesh Ambani's classmate at engineering college and is a hands-on operations person.

The initiation of Akash into the telecom venture seems to be a conscious decision on the part of Mukesh Ambani because the business combines both the need for innovation and taps into the aspirations of the younger generation.

Akash is part of a venture that has grown rapidly from less than 700 professionals a year ago to over 3,000 employees.