Kokilaben Ambani: All you need to know about the matriarch of the Ambani family

Dubai: In the sanctum of India’s most influential business dynasties, the name ‘Ambani’ resonates with immense power and ambition. Yet behind the empire built by the legendary Dhirubhai Ambani, and now led by his sons Mukesh and Anil, stands a figure of quiet strength and enduring influence: the family matriarch, Kokilaben Ambani.

Kokilaben, 91, was admitted to HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai late Thursday night after being airlifted in an emergency, according to Indian media reports.

While very little is publicly known about Kokilaben, she is best known for settling the bitter feud over the family business between the two brothers.

Today, she holds over 31.48 million shares in Reliance Industries, representing approximately 0.24 per cent of the company’s total equity, according to the official records of Reliance Industries Limited. 

Born in Jamnagar, Gujarat, in 1934, Kokilaben’s journey began in an era when opportunities for women were limited.

In a rare interview with Mid-Day, Kokilaben said, “I spent my childhood in Jamnagar, which was not as developed then as it is now. We were a middle-class family. I would do all the household chores that girls of those days were expected to do. I would also do sewing and embroidery work. Our elders believed that girls should be well-versed in domestic chores.”

She was married at the age of 21 in 1955 to the then-budding entrepreneur, Dhirubhai Ambani. According to verses from biographer Sushmita Dutta’s book, The Story of Dhirubhai Ambani: An Indian Industrialist, Kokilaben and Dhirubhai were that one power couple who had never let their success and wealth affect their grounded nature and humility. After her marriage, the couple moved to Aden, Yemen, where she gave birth to her oldest son Mukesh.

While her husband was a visionary risk-taker, Kokilaben became the bedrock of the family, a role that would prove to be her most important.
Dhirubhai, recognising the need for his wife to adapt to their expanding social circles, even arranged for an English tutor for her, a move she has often cited as empowering, according to the biographer.

Her most significant public role came after her husband died in 2002. A major dispute arose between her two sons, Mukesh and Anil, over the control of the business. She successfully mediated and settled the infamous Reliance empire ownership dispute in June 2005, with a subsequent settlement for ongoing issues in May 2010.

She emerged from her private role to publicly announce the resolution, which involved a demerger of the Reliance group, with Mukesh receiving Reliance Industries and IPCL, and Anil gaining control of Reliance Infocomm, Reliance Energy, and Reliance Capital.

Her involvement led to the Anil Ambani group withdrawing a defamation suit of INR10,000 crore against Mukesh.

Eventually Mukesh went on to grow the family business to new heights while Anil's ventures faced major financial difficulties, with some companies accumulating substantial debt and leading to bankruptcy proceedings. 

In early 2019, a court in Mumbai held Ambani in criminal contempt for non-payment of personally guaranteed debt Reliance Communications owed to Swedish gear maker Ericsson. Instead of jail time, the court gave him a month to come up with the funds. At the end of the month, Anil was bailed out by his elder brother.

Kokilaben Ambani is recognised for her contributions to philanthropy. She is associated with several trusts and charitable projects. One of her most notable contributions is the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai, a state-of-the-art medical facility.

She also supports educational and cultural initiatives, often through trusts established in her late husband’s name.

Today, she remains a unifying figure for the Ambani family and is highly respected in Indian society. She is often seen at major family gatherings and public events. Her most recent notable public appearance was at the Sabyasachi 25th anniversary event in January 2025.