Summary of this article
As non-executive directors in the FY2024-25, Isha Ambani, Akash Ambani, and Anant Ambani each took home over Rs 2 crore which comprised sitting fees and commissions. Here's why Anant Ambani may pocket more this year and why Mukesh Ambani continues to draw zero paycheck.
Reliance Industries’ annual report for the financial year (FY) 2024-25, released on August 7, offers a detailed look at what its directors earned over the past year, and, as has been the case for five years now, Mukesh Ambani’s name once again sits next to a big zero.
The Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries has not drawn a salary since FY 2020-21, a decision first taken during the Covid-19 pandemic and continued each year since.
This includes salary, allowances, and perquisites, with the company clarifying that neither he nor other whole-time directors receive any pay or commission from RIL subsidiaries. Before the pandemic, his annual pay had been voluntarily capped at Rs 15 crore.
What the Ambani children earned
As non-executive directors in the financial year 2024-25, Isha Ambani, Akash Ambani, and Anant Ambani each took home Rs 2.31 crore which comprised sitting fees and commissions. This amount, however, does not include their other roles; all three also earned Rs 1 crore each from their positions on the Reliance Foundation Hospital Trust board, alongside Nita Ambani.
Incoming pay for Anant Ambani as full-time director
Anant Ambani was appointed a whole-time director in June 2025, which means in the current financial year (FY 2025-26) he will see a sharp jump in his pay. The company’s BSE filing states his “salary, perquisites and allowances” will be in the range of Rs 10 to 20 crore annually, plus provident fund, gratuity, leave encashment, and performance-based commission. Accommodation, utilities, and reimbursements are also part of the package.
What the other executive directors earned
While Mukesh Ambani took home nothing, the other executive directors’ numbers were far higher:
Nikhil R. Meswani earned Rs 7.28 crore in salary, Rs 44 lakh in retiral benefits, Rs 17.28 crore as commission; total Rs 25 crore.
Hital R. Meswani earned Rs 7.28 crore in salary, Rs 44 lakh in retiral benefits, Rs 17.28 crore as commission; total Rs 25 crore.
P. M. S. Prasad earned Rs 19.37 crore in salary, Rs 59 lakh in retiral benefits; total Rs 19.96 crore. This figure includes performance-linked incentives from FY 2023-24, paid in FY 2024-25.
Non-executive directors’ payouts
According to reports, outside the Ambani family, payouts to non-executive directors ranged between Rs 2.27 crore and Rs 2.61 crore, combining sitting fees and commissions. K. V. Chowdary topped this list with Rs 2.61 crore, followed by Raminder Singh Gujral with Rs 2.54 crore.
The figures underline the sharp contrasts within Reliance’s top table, from the chairman who has opted for no salary for half a decade, to whole-time directors pulling in Rs 25 crore, to the younger Ambanis poised for much bigger paydays in the coming financial year.
