Hierarchy vs 'unutilised' expertise? Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son on Reliance board

Anant Ambani

By NS Venkataraman*
Recently, big controversy arose over the proposal to appoint Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son, who is said to be just 28 years old, on the Board of the family controlled Reliance Industries Ltd.

A share holders services company has expressed its concern about appointing a person with little experience in the board of a large and technologically advanced company and has asked the share holders to vote against the proposal.
Of course, one can be sure that the family controlling the Reliance Industries would somehow ensure that such appointment would be done, just as the fact that other siblings of the family who are also not adequately experienced have entered the board of group companies..

The question is whether such appointments to the top posts, which are very critical for the optimum management of the institution, should be done on the basis of family connection and blood relations, overlooking the claims of the professionals with proven skill and long period of experience and expertise in the relevant fields.
A number of such private sector companies which are operating in industrial and commercial fields are public limited companies with large portion of equity share being held by individuals and financial institutions, who are not part of the family, which control the management of these institutions.

In all such cases, it can be seen that the stakes of the non-family equity holders and the financial institutions who have extended equity and loan to the companies, are much larger than that of the family members who have much less equity share and nevertheless who are controlling the companies in day today management and in chalking out the short term and long term policies of the companies.
When in such large private sector companies, which are public limited companies, the succession for the management of the companies is based on blood relations rather than the expertise and competence of the persons, obviously the future prospects of the companies and their growth may run the risk of suffering considerably, due to the lack of adequate expertise of the family members who are vested with the authority and responsibility.

Norms should be evolved stipulating certain level of experience and qualification to occupy positions on the board of directors

In such conditions, it is often seen that senior engineers, technologists and management professionals with proven experience of even thirty years and more, are forced to report to youngsters coming from the family, who are yet to acquire high skill and expertise.

There are some cases where the experienced worthy professionals are unwilling to accept such conditions which they may consider as humiliating and leave the services once for all. There are many organisations in India whose progress have suffered due to such reasons.
As efficient functioning of public limited companies are necessary for the economic and industrial growth of the country, it is necessary that some norms should be evolved, stipulating certain level of experience and qualification to occupy positions on the board of directors of the companies.

This would ensure that blood relations do not become the be all and end all factor for occupying such board level positions in public limited companies that are in private sector.
In India, it appears that in almost all private sector companies, the level in the management hierarchy up to which the professionals can move become limited, in spite of their expertise and capability.

This is a negative trend, where valuable experience and knowledge level of senior professionals go unutilized in top management practices, which ultimately impact the overall industrial growth of the country.
---
*Trustee, Nandini Voice For The Deprived, Chennai

Comments

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

As India logs historic emissions drop, expert warns govt against 'policy blunders'

By A Representative In a significant development that underscores the rapid transformation of India's energy landscape, new data reveals the country recorded its largest drop in power sector emissions in 2025. However, a top power sector analyst has urged the Union Government to view this "silver lining" as a stark warning against continuing to invest in new coal, large hydro, and nuclear projects, which he argues could become "redundant" stranded assets.

Search This Blog