Isha Ambani Piramal On Work, Inheritance and Life After Marriage

Heir to modern times, it is easy to judge it, to badume it if you know it and tag it without ever meeting it. As the daughter of business magnate Mukesh Ambani, she must be well-born, have the right to be, perhaps even a bit of a child far removed from reality. But the truth can not be more precise, as I find out when I meet Isha Ambani Piramal, director of Reliance Retail and Reliance JIO Infocomm Limited, in the most natural of its habitats – her workplace.

Heiress of the day, Isha is very strong, ambitious and loves to talk about business, but that is when you talk about anything else that she throws you completely to Earth. You then meet a young woman of 27 years – at once naive and naive, she is always disarming and honest. She is an extremely private person who is responsibly trying to navigate her life through public perspective. A delicious dichotomy of contrasts, it makes me want to know who is the real Isha Ambani Piramal. Over the next two hours, we catch up with all the things that make his world turn around. Extracts from our conversation.

Priya Tanna: Isha, you arrived just after the wedding. Tell us a little bit?

Isha Ambani Piramal: The wedding went very well. Like any other bride, I had my share of sadness as a bride, but getting married at home made her very special and I had a great time celebrating my most memorable moments with all the people I had. # 39; love.

PT: How involved were you in planning? Were you a bride?

IAP: During the marriage, my mother was CEO and I was president. She and her dad did all the hard work. Fortunately, we ended up loving the same things, so it was easy as hell. I did not go to a single wedding meeting. I was never someone who dreamed of my wedding, yet it was wonderful in more ways than I can imagine. It was a very moving affair for all members of my family. I was moved too, but everyone around me was crying all the time. I only cried at my bidaai because I felt pressure from my peers while everyone was crying, especially my parents.

PT: Speaking of your family, you must know that you are born of an important family. How was it growing?

IAP: The surprising truth is that even though my parents were exceptionally busy, they were really very active. I was born in 1991, just after the liberalization, which was a real turning point for the Indian economy: it was the first time that Indian companies could dream on a global scale . I saw my dad working very hard to make this dream come true and integrate Reliance into the current organization. And even though he worked long hours, he was always there when we needed him. At home, we were raised to have the same value system as our parents. They ensured that we understood the value of money, hard work and humility.

My parents had us after seven years of marriage – my twin Akash and I were IVF babies. When my mother finally got us, she wanted to be a full time mom first. Later, she returned to work at the age of five, but she was still a tiger mother.

I remember, every time mom and I had arguments, we called dad to solve the problem. My mother was much stricter. If we wanted to do junk food at school, dad would say, "It does not matter," but mom would make sure we eat on time, study hard and play well too. My grandparents (paternal and maternal) and my maasi have greatly contributed to raising us.

PT: You recently created the Reliance Arts Foundation. What is your vision for this?

IPA: The goal and mission of the Reliance Arts Foundation is to present the best of Indian art in the world and to promote world art in India. Our collaborations with the Met and the Art Institute of Chicago have allowed us to present Indian art to an international audience. Ultimately, we want to evolve towards a complete program strengthening the artistic platform in India. Covering artists, young or old, modern or traditional, our goal is to ensure their fulfillment and fulfillment.

My dream is to create a museum in Mumbai and present shows from around the world in India. I am inspired by the work of Dasha Zhukova with the Moscow Garage Museum and the Mori Museum in Tokyo. Their conservation skills creatively open spaces for citizens to access, participate in and engage in art. Art is a way to record history, culture and the times. It is as important to preserve the art of our time as it is to preserve the art of future generations.

PT: You also work at DAIS. What is your role there?

IAP: Education fascinates me a lot. DAIS is for me more than a place of work, it is a place that I like. I love children. Even at Stanford, I taught at two years old. Being able to model their thinking at an early age is what I found fulfilling. Schools have a profound and lasting impact on young minds. I do not think a student has ever forgotten a good teacher, and that's why I see education as a great opportunity to train the next generation. It is one of the most powerful agents of positive change.

PT: You saw your mother at the forefront of so many businesses, from sports to education to health. How did this shape your attitude towards women in the workplace?

IAP: Although I want to believe that women can have everything, I know that my mother gave everything to raise us. But once we grew up, I also saw her perfectly balancing work and home. Watching her play all these roles – from the full-time mother to the businesswoman – I learned the importance of every aspect of a woman's life and the need to define what "having everything" means during these different stages. I am very committed to gender equality and equal participation in the labor market because I had to believe that I could do everything my brothers could do, as well if not better. So, as a worker, I believe that businesses need to create an environment that is conducive to equal participation.

At Jio, we have programs for women that allow them to form communities and support each other. But what would really give me satisfaction is when I know that no matter which meeting I attend, whether it's engineering or design, there will be an equal number of women in the room .

PT: Let's talk about Anand now. What is the singular reason that makes him an excellent life partner?

IAP: I can not stop there! (Laughs). I love his incredible sense of humor and his spirituality.

PT: How are you different as a couple?

IAP: He hates attending events, I appreciate them. I really enjoyed our wedding, but it was not exactly his idea to have fun (laughs). He is more spiritual than me. But we are also very similar. We are both very family oriented and we both love food. I remember that in one of my father's speeches at my wedding, he listed ten reasons why he loved Anand. It was hilarious, and Dad concluded saying that these are probably the same ten things that he would also use to describe himself. And that's true; Anand reminds me in many ways of my father.

PT: Has your work routine changed since your marriage last year? Do you now want a better work-life balance?

IAP: Last night we had dinner, then from 11 pm to 3 am Anand held a meeting in his office. So, I do not think his life has changed, and mine either. At this point, work is a priority for both of us. And thankfully, our parents understand it. Fortunately, the family in which I was born and the family in which I married have the same work ethic – all members of both families know the importance of work.

PT: What is your orientation in fashion – at work and out of work?

IAP: At work, I love wearing Indian clothes … cotton kurtas with block prints. I think it's one of the biggest advantages of being an Indian: our clothes! I hated getting dressed in business attire during my stay in America. It was a nightmare to get into a blazer. It works well for thin bodies, but how do you wear a pencil skirt if you have a curvaceous body? Outside of work, I like to wear international and Indian designers – Valentino, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Dolce & Gabbana, Manish Malhotra, Celine and Sabyasachi are some of my favorites. I like when a garment goes very well and it is not easy. For more comfort, I swap between salwar kameez, Lululemon sweatshirt and comfortable sweater.

PT: You have been working for more than five years now. What is the thing you are most proud of?

IAP: Jio's branding and marketing strategy – I had the most fun doing it. At its launch in 2015, India ranked 155th in mobile broadband consumption index, but today, after January 11, India ranks at first rank.

PT: You come from a family of super-performers, each of them having left an inheritance. What would you like to be remembered?

IAP: I would be proud if someone said: "She contributed to her parents' inheritance." And of course, if Reliance can be one of the 10 largest companies in the world, it would be a dream come true.

Read the full interview in Vogue The February 2019 issue of India published on February 2, 2019

On Isha: The dress, shirt, skirt with ruffles; all Toni Maticevski. Ring, Misho

Photographed by Tarun Vishwa. Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania and Priyanka Kapadia

Hair: Rebecca Chang. Makeup: Subash Vagal. Makeup badistant: Harshal Jariwala. Photographer's Assistant: Mohammed Jamshed Qureshi. Stylist Assistant: Priyanka Parkash. Production: Divya Jagwani; Ankita Chandra; Bindiya Chhabria. Writing Assistant: Jay Modi