The people who run Reliance Industries

The Reliance Industries stock has hit a 52-week high on strong results and a more amiable government stance on its gas project. There are still issues, like the 4G rollout. ET goes behind the storylines to trace the people in charge — formally and informally — of taking the Rs 3,39,792 cr company to the next level

The Ultimate Leaders

For all their generals and lieutenants in Reliance, the direction comes from these three. And, at times, their involvement can be totally hands-on

1. Mukesh Ambani, CHAIRMAN : Mukesh Ambani can spends hours watching leopards in a jungle—and he has adopted some tricks from the sleek predator's trade. "It doesn't take any risk. Whenever it sees it can make a kill, it rapidly makes the kill. It happens in a flash," he once told ET. There was stealth and surprise aplenty when he bought a licence for 4G services, or became a significant shareholder in East India Hotels, or when wife Nita took charge of the glamorous Mumbai Indians cricket franchise. A formidable team helps Mukeshmake such decisions and, more importantly, follow through to steer the colossal, and complex, empire that he inherited from his legendary father Dhirubhai Ambani to new heights. In that team are family and friends, old aides and new professionals, business heads and 'environment managers'. Depending on what the situation demands, this collective can offer street-smart solutions, clairvoyant market insights and hardcore professionalism.

2. Nita Ambani : The only woman in the top set, Mukesh's wife is called 'bhabhi' by one and all. Although she is best known as the woman who turned around the Mumbai Indians cricket franchise , Nita plays a larger role in RIL than is widely perceived. When brothers Mukesh and Anil were involved in a bitter fight for the Reliance empire, it was said that one of Anil's grouses was that Nita, Anand Jain and Manoj Modi mattered more in the company than him. Nita played a key role in RIL's decision in 2010 to buy 14.8% in East India Hotels, where she is now on the board of the company along with Manoj Modi. She has also been involved in RIL's retail operations. Nita made her mark as part of the team that built the Jamnagar refinery, particularly her initiative to transform the arid zone into a green belt with mango plantations. She is also the founder-chairperson of the Dhirubhai Ambani International School and is actively involved in the Reliance Foundation. A gracious host, Nita throws lavish parties at the new Ambani residence, Antillia, where politicians, cricketers and Bollywood stars rub shoulders.

3. Manoj Modi : His visiting card carries no designation. He does not officially head any business. And he's not on the board. Yet, Modi is an inseparable part of every big move RIL makes and has a say in pretty much each of its businesses. There is no designated CEO at RIL, but if there were to be one, Manoj Modi—55, Mukesh's classmate from engineering college— would be the man. MM, as he is called, is a hands-on, serial builder of large projects for Reliance: the Hazira petrochemical complex, the Jamnagar refinery, the first telecom business, Reliance Retail and, now, the 4G rollout. He won Mukesh's confidence with his execution of the Jamnagar refinery when he refined the art of dealing with vendors and contractors, often in an aggressive language. Modi sees himself as a loyal lieutenant of Mukesh, and will growl or pounce on anybody who dares to go against the boss. Despite the turbulence in retail and 4G, Modi's star in RIL shines the brightest.

The Core Team These trusty hands drive either operations or functions

1. Nikhil Meswani, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR : The elder son of Dhirubhai Ambani's cousin Rasiklal Meswani joined RIL in 1986 and has been on its board since 1988. He is primarily responsible for petrochemicals and taking RIL to the top 10 in this sector globally. He holds about 279,000 shares in RIL. Nikhil and brother Hital each took home a salary of Rs 11 crore in 2010-11, the most after Mukesh.

2. Hital Meswani, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR : Nikhil's younger brother joined RIL in 1990 and has been on its board since 1995. He owns 212,000 RIL shares. He has executed several mega projects, including the Hazira petrochemicals and Jamnagar refinery complexes. This soft-spoken Wharton graduate oversees the refinery and all other manufacturing units.

3. PMS Prasad, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR : Among those outside the Ambani kin, Prasad is perhaps the most influential. He joined RIL in the late 70s and has risen to drive its cash cows—refining and exploration. He headed the team that set up the Jamnagar refinery complex in 1999, and under his leadership, RIL made the biggest gas discovery in 2002. Prasad went through a rough patch during the government inquisitions on its trophy gas block. He has since bounced back, with the oil ministry shedding its radioactive approach towards RIL. His sophisticated style is a contrast to the street-smart interventions of Manoj Modi.

4. Alok Aggarwal, HEAD — FINANCE : Aggarwal manages RIL's cash pile of $15 billion. An IIM graduate and a former BankAm executive, he has an uncanny knack of raising funds even in a bad market. This conservative banker is also focused more on global risk-management.

5. LV Merchant, FINANCIAL CONTROLLER : An expert in paperwork, accounting & processes, he also has a role in promoter firms that hold RIL shares.

6. Harish Shah, PRESIDENT : Involved in budgeting, financial planning, back-office operations and sensitive cash matters

7. PK Kapil, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR : Joined in 1996, after a long career in IOCBSE -0.61 %, to lead the commissioning of the Jamnagar refinery. Became a director in May 2010. Known for his earthy and amiable style.

The Environment Managers

They silently work the corridors of power for Reliance

1. V Balasubramanium, GROUP PRESIDENT : Balu, as he is called, was a part of the original 'ABCD' of RIL: Ambani, Balu, Chaturvedi, Dhirubhai. He was a top aide and fixer for Dhirubhai. He has retained considerable clout under Mukesh, but is no longer the one-man army he used to be. Chaturvedi, Nathwani and Nahata have moved up the ranks in government lobbying. Balu's clout has also diminished because of the decline in the number of south Indians in the bureaucracy.

2. Nahata, BUSINESS PARTNER IN 4G :  A key person in RIL's telecom charge, he wields influence in Delhi. HelpedRILBSE -0.48 % build bridges with Kapil Sibal,Mulayam Singh Yadav and the finance ministry. Called the 'track-2 Balu': unlike Balu, whose approach is 'you are with me or against me', Nahata has a persuasive style. 

3. Shalin Tandon, VICE-PRESIDENT  : Son of Sandeep Tandon— the former IRS official who probed RIL in the 1980S and then joined it. A trusted aide in international matters. 

4. Rajesh Chaturvedi, AUDITOR  : Regarded as the 'new Sandeep Tandon'. The son of former RIL strongman DN Chaturvedi (Dhirubhai's CFO) liaises in Delhi on taxation, customs and excise.

5. Parimal Nathwani, GROUP PRESIDENT : The key hand in RIL's political liaison. Has grown in stature after showing his clout in Gujarat, where most RIL plants are located. Folklore has it that a CBI director was once declined a room at the Circuit House in Dwarka, in spite of a booking, as Nathwani was given preference. 

OLD FRIEND & CONFIDANTE 

Anand Jain 

Once in the same league as Modi, and called Dhirubhai's 'third son', Jain is no longer actively involved.
Mukesh and he remain friends: they holiday together and Jain even drops in at Reliance HQ. 

The Support Cast 

These are executives, with formal titles and roles, and can be found in the organisation chart .

1. V Srikanth, CFO  : After 20 years in Citigroup, during which he became country treasurer, he moved to RIL in 2010. A chartered accountant in his mid-40s, he handles the company's voluminous treasury operations and is being groomed for bigger responsibilities. 

2. Vivek Paranjpe, HEAD — HR  : He left H-P to return to RIL in 2010 to replace the late VV Bhatt, who brought public sector managers. The mandate for Paranjpe, who had an earlier 10-year stint at RIL, is to hire and groom global managers. 

3. Navin Wadhwani, HEAD — M&A  : An investment banker of 20 years, Wadhwani is setting up a dedicated M&A team that will scout for acquisitions. 

4. Atul Dayal, HEAD-LEGAL : His able handling of the legal issues RIL has faced lately, including arbitration in the KGD6 block, has gone down well. 

5. B Srinivasan, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT to Mukesh Ambani  : The Stanford-educated executive is involved in the teams that incubate businesses in the chairman's office before being carved out. Also liases with the press and the corporate communications team.

The Business Runners : The heads and key executives of the four businesses are mostly professionals, including many expats.

1. Oil & Gas

a. Walter Van De Vijver , PRESIDENT & CEO, Reliance Exploration and Production : Shell's former exploration head has piloted three shale-gas acquisitions.

b. BK Ganguly VICE-CHAIRMAN, India Gas Solutions : Involved in D6 gas pricing, he looks at the gas distribution JV with BP.

c. PK Verma HEAD OF OPERATIONS, KG D6 : The ex-ONGC man handled the western offshore fields before K-G Basin.

d. Tony Fountain CEO, Refining : 25 years at BP, highest-paid British civil servant, he joined last January.

2. Petrochem

a. Warren Wilder HEAD, Polymers : Former head of Malaysia-based Titan Chemicals, his mandate is to expand the global footprint of the polymer business.

b. RD Udeshi PRESIDENT, Polyester : Played a major role in the early 90s, when RIL  bought to build capacity.

c. Ajay Shah BUSINESS HEAD, Chemicals : This IIT Kanpur grad learnt the ropes of the chemical business at Nocil.

d. Anand M Parekh BUSINESS HEAD, Textiles : Came in 2007 from Arvind Mills and led the Vimal brand repositioning.

3. Retail

a. Pankaj Pawar VICE-PRESIDENT : Once an executive assistant to Manoj Modi, he runs the retail show

b. Rob Cissell CEO, Value-Format : RIL lured him from Walmart China in September 2011 to crack retail

c. Shawn Grey COO, Value-Format : Cissell brought along Grey, who has spent 13 years in Walmart China.

d. Bijou Kurien PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE-Lifestyle : At Titan, he built brands like Titan, Fastrack, Sonata and Tanishq.

e. Darshan Mehta PRESIDENT & CEO, Reliance Brands : The apparel industry veteran has sewed up many brand partnerships.

f. Brian Bade CHIEF EXECUTIVE, Reliance Digital  : Heads retailing of consumer durables and electronics, and Apple iStore.

g. Gopalakrishnan Sankar, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, Reliance Footprint : The IIM-A grad heads footwear retailing, home decor and furnishings.

4. Telecom

a. Jyotindra Thacker, HEAD OF IT & MEMBER of 4G team : Relative of Manoj Modi, he heads IT systems and think-tank for 4G.

b. Kiran Thomas, VICE-PRESIDENT : Works closely with Manoj Modi on new projects

c. Mathew Oommen, PRESIDENT : Held key positions in Reliance Infocomm & Flag Telecom before leaving. Now, he works closely with Thomas on consumer and handset strategy.